Killing Time
by Kaoru Gal
Summary: Riku is a cold hearted assassin. Time is endless for him. But when he's ordered to kidnap a young boy with a heart of gold things take a drastic change. The clock breaks and time stops. RikuxSora AxelxRoxas Yaoi AU
1. Chapter 1

**Killing Time**

Disclaimer: Don't own Kingdom Hearts

Joh: Yeah. I have a million other stories I haven't updated in years but I _really _wanted to do a Kingdom Hearts one!

Jessie: No one will be mad at you.

Joh: Yeah….I have nothing else to say…

Warnings: Yaoi, violence, language

Note: Riku may seem OOC at first, but his true character comes out more once he opens up to Sora. So please don't yell at me for making him too quiet/mean/whatever

0o0o0oo0

"Johnson White was found dead this morning after having disappeared two nights ago. Officials say that there was no actual bullet inside him, but the wound is clearly from a gun…Needless to say-"

A silver haired man scowled and grabbed the remote, switching the flat screen T.V off. "Fucking reporters." He grumbled, throwing the remote back down on the leather couch. He stood, stretching his muscled arms over his head. He glanced around the apartment flat and sighed.

He was exhausted but he couldn't sleep. He could never sleep.

He slumped his way into the bedroom, ignoring the luxurious bedspread out for him. No matter how soft the mattress may be it couldn't chase away his nightmares.

He slipped into the large bathroom, rummaging through the cabinets. "Where is it?" he hissed under his breath as he blew a strand of hair out of his green eyes. Finally, he found what he was looking for.

A small medicine bottle.

He unscrewed the cap and shook out a small pale pill into his palm. He grabbed a glass from the counter and filled it with water, downing the pill with a large gulp.

As he slammed the glass back down the buzz of his cell phones vibrate filled the silence. He stared into the large mirror, frowning at his reflection as he ignored the silent ringing.

There were dark circles under his vibrant eyes, enhanced by the paleness of his skin. He sighed and reluctantly answered his phone. "What? Yeah…uh huh…got it." He nodded to himself, still staring into the mirror. With a click he hung up and snapped the phone shut. His assignment had been moved up. Pity. He had really been looking forward to having the night off.

He wandered back into his bedroom and shifted through a pile of papers that cluttered his desk. He grinned when he pulled out the right one and smoothed out the wrinkles.

The crinkled paper held a picture of a young teenage boy smiling. He studied the picture, memorizing the boy's features.

Blue eyes, messy brown hair, slender, and average height for a 16-year-old boy.

"Looks like I'll be seeing you soon, Sora." The silver haired man whispered, dropping the paper and letting it flutter back to the desk.

0o0

Sora sneezed, causing several heads to turn to look at him. He grinned sheepishly and flushed. "Um, sorry."

"Need a tissue?" The teacher asked, looking up from the book she had been reading out loud.

"No, that's okay." Sora scratched the back of his head nervously.

The teacher nodded and returned to her reading, allowing the brunette to let out a sigh of relief and return his attention to the window. Only five more minutes until the bell rang then he was free to go home.

He glanced at his wristwatch and frowned at how slowly the seconds seemed to be going by. "Come on, come on!" he muttered.

Finally the shrill ring of the bell echoed through the halls of the school. Sora leapt from his seat and grabbed his books, stuffing them into his bag.

"Don't forget, your essays are due tomorrow first thing." The teacher reminded her class just as Sora went bouncing out of the room. He froze in the hallway as her words registered.

"Aw, crap! I haven't started it yet!" he huffed, wild hair drooping slightly.

"Hey man! I bet you haven't even started the essay yet!" a blonde boy laughed, grabbing Sora and ruffling his hair.

Sora scowled, pushing his friend away. "Have you?"

Tidus grinned. "Nope!" he answered proudly, puffing out his chest. "Don't plan to either since I have soccer and swimming."

A red-haired boy approached them. "I already finished that last week." He said, grinning when Tidus scowled at him.

"Shut up. Sora and I are gonna shun you since you're a nerd." Tidus sniffed. "We don't associate ourselves with geeks named Wakka."

Wakka rolled his eyes before turning to Sora. "You coming to soccer practice?"

"Can't. I'm actually trying not to fail."

Tidus sighed, patting Sora on the back. "Don't kill yourself dude."

"I'll try." Sora laughed, turning away from them and shifting his bag higher up his shoulder. "See you guys!"

They smiled and waved before disappearing in the mass of students eager to get home.

0o0

Sora was a little nervous and _maybe _a bit frightened.

His parents both worked late so he had dropped by the mall to do a few errands and it was getting to be a bit late.

He had always been scared of the dark but Sora had a feeling that it was more than the dark that was scaring him now.

He swore that he heard someone following him. Sora chewed his bottom lip anxiously, glancing around and clutching the bag of groceries he had bought. "Shit, I wish I was home already." He moaned, walking a bit faster.

There it was! The sound of a second pair of feet following him!

He let out a loud sigh of relief when his house came into view, just down the street. Sora hurried down the pavement, passing under dim street lamps as he nearly ran.

When he reached the porch and fumbled with his keys to open the door he turned back to glance at the road.

A young man was standing in the middle of the street right in front of his house. Sora nearly dropped his bags when he realized that the man was staring directly at him. The man had his hands shoved in his jean pockets. Blue tinted shades were perched on his nose, hiding his eyes from view. He was staring up at the starry sky with a blank look on his face. Sora let out a sigh as he slipped into his house. He must have been mistaken, the man wasn't looking at him at all! He leaned against the door, still unable to shake away his anxiety.

"MOVE ALONG, MOVE ALONG LIKE I KNOW YA TO. AND-"

Sora jumped as his cell phone sprang to life, shattering the silence with its ring tone. The groceries fell to the floor and vegetables rolled across the carpet. Sora cursed fumbled to pull his cell out of his pocket. "Hello?" he asked rather breathlessly.

"Sora? Man, you sound like shit!" Tidus's cheery laugh sounded over the line.

Sora let out a sigh of relief as his lips twitched into a weak smile. "Yeah well…" he trailed off as he bent down to gather up the fallen groceries strewn across the floor.

"I just finished soccer practice and I wanted to know if you finished the English essay yet." Tidus inquired hopefully.

The brunette bit his lip. "No. I just got home."

"You serious? What were you doing?"

"Getting dinner." Sora grumbled as he finished gathering up the groceries.

"Oh…damn. Who am I gonna copy then?"

Sora shrugged as he made a 'mmm' sound and cradled the bags in his arms, using his shoulder to hold the phone to his ear.

Tidus sighed heavily. "Well…call me when you do finish it, okay?"

"Yeah sure. It just might be really late at night." Sora walked into the kitchen and dropped the bags on the counter. "Or really early in the morning." He added after a moment of thought.

"Doesn't matter." Tidus huffed. "Listen, I got to get going to swimming now. I'll be back at seven."

"Got it." Sora said before taking the phone and snapping it shut. He set it on the counter along with the groceries and grabbed his bag. He turned to walk out of the room, and with a determined nod of his head he trudged up the stairs to his bedroom.

As he moved through the dark hallway upstairs he debated the topic of his essay. "What was I supposed to write about again?" he grumbled to himself, kicking his door open and flinging his bag inside. "Crap, I actually forgot."

With a sigh he dropped himself heavily on his bed and buried his face into his pillow. All he wanted to do was sleep.

But soon all thoughts of homework and sleep were shoved out of his mind as the cool tip of a gun pressed lightly against his head. Sora stiffened, inhaling sharply.

"Don't move." A soft voice ordered him from behind.

"How'd you get inside?" Sora whispered, desperate to turn his head around and peek at the man standing over him.

The gun was pressed harder into his temple, making the teen wince. "Get up." The voice commanded tonelessly.

Sora took deep breaths as he forced his frozen limbs to move. Tensely he slid off the bed and stood, turning slightly to stare at the invader. It was the man that had been following him.

He was surprised and slightly embarrassed to notice that the silver-haired man was actually quite handsome up close. He should be looking for a means of escape, not checking out the creepy stalker guy with a gun!

"What…d-do you want with me?" Sora struggled to keep his voice steady as he eyed the gun. If the man hadn't killed him yet then maybe he wasn't going to die…maybe he had a chance…

Blue eyes flickered to the doorway, debating on if he could make it or not. The man followed his gaze and smirked.

"Don't try it. Won't work." He grabbed Sora's shoulder and roughly turned him around so his back was facing him. Sora stared fearfully at the wall, wishing he would stop shaking. He didn't like not being able to see the older man.

Behind him he heard the sound of cloth ripping accompanied with the feeling of cool hands binding his wrists together. Gathering his courage he spun around and kneed the man sharply in the stomach. The man grunted and stumbled away from him.

Sora scanned the room frantically and noticed the gun lying innocently on the bed. Nearly hysterical with fear Sora dived for it, hoping to knock it out of the man's reach. But before he could so much as brush it a hand grabbed him roughly by the back of his shirt and shoved him to the floor.

The brunette cried out as he landed painfully on the hard wood floor, head knocking against the ground. Dazed, he was only vaguely aware of pale hands tying his ankles together.

He felt himself being picked up and slung over the man's shoulder like a sack of flour. He swallowed hard as he bit back his pride and did the last thing he could. Scream.

His kidnapper flinched as he bellowed and thrashed. He didn't even stop to catch his breath as he was dumped back to the ground. There was no way the neighbors wouldn't hear him!

Only a moment later a wad of cloth cut off his screams, shoved gracelessly into his mouth. "That shut you up." The man growled, picking him back up and hurrying out of the house before anyone saw him leave.

0o0

"That him?"

"Who else could it be, dipshit?"

"My, you have a temper Riku."

Sora groaned as his eyes fluttered open. The voices around him sounded strange, like they were echoing. As he struggled to clear his mind he wondered when he had fallen asleep.

"Look, he's awake."

"Damn."

Sora frowned as he tried to focus on where that voice was coming from. It sounded vaguely familiar…

Slowly his vision cleared, revealing an expensive looking apartment living room. His head thudded dully as he fought to sit up. He groaned again. Why was his head so heavy?

Hands snagged his shoulders, pulling him upright and leaning him against the sofa he only just realized he had been laying on. A grinning face peered at him from above. "Hey there, I'm Axel." The man introduced himself, green eyes studying Sora's face. Sora stared back at him, not sure what to make of the strange red-haired man.

"Where am I?" he finally managed to ask, surprised at how dry his voice sounded. He looked around the room for a possible escape as Axel answered him.

The room was large and nearly bare. The floor was carpeted an off white and the walls painted the same dull color. A few black armchairs were scattered across the room and a flat T.V was hung on the wall, looking dusty and untouched.

"This is Riku's little hole." Axel replied, bouncing on his heels.

Riku grunted as he settled himself in an armchair and glared at his red-haired friend.

Sora turned his attention on him and frowned. "Are you…going to kill me?" he asked quietly, fists clenching. A dull fear wrapped around his mind as he struggled to find emotion in his kidnapper's face.

Riku didn't reply right away. He pulled off his shades and set them down on the glass coffee table. He brought his hand to his lips and pulled the black gloves off with his teeth.

"If I was going to I wouldn't have bothered bringing you here."

"So why _did _you bring me here?" Sora snapped, his fear making him impatient.

Riku shrugged as he folded his gloves carefully and set them beside the sunglasses. "Orders."

Sora stared at him with a bewildered expression before turning to Axel. "I don't understand. Let me go."

Axel smirked and leaned back against the wall, crossing his arms over his chest. "No can do, kid. You're just going to have to hang out here until boss tells us what he wants with you."

"God knows what he wants with a runt like him." Riku muttered, running a pale hand through his hair.

Sora scowled, feeling his headache grow worse. "I'm not a kid or a runt!" he glared at both of them.

Axel stared at him before laughing and turning to Riku. "You see that? He even pouts like Roxas."

Sora was tempted to protest that he _was not _pouting, but that he was glowering at them in what he considered a very threatening way. But curiosity got to him first. "Who's Roxas?"

Riku waved a dismissing hand at him. "No one.

Axel frowned at him and turned to Sora, shaking his head. "Don't mind him. He just kinda hates Roxas. And as for who he is, you'll see." He grinned and pushed off from the wall. "With that said, I must leave you two to yourselves." He bowed sarcastically before excusing himself from the room.

Sora listened to his muffled footsteps through the apartment soon followed by the sound of a heavy door opening then slamming shut.

He got up slowly and as soon as he was on both feet he swayed, stomach heaving. Sora groaned and grabbed the arm of the sofa to support himself. "What…did you do to me?" he hissed, turning angry blue eyes on Riku.

The silver-haired man was regarding him with a bemused look. "Nothing. Just gave you a little pill to knock you out for a bit."

Sora's knees finally gave out and he sank to the ground. He stared at his upturned palms, frowning. Fear coiled around him, constricting his chest. Only the dull pain in his head stopped him from having a complete panic attack.

_Okay, stay calm. You'll find a way out of this. Just think clearly. _Sora told himself furiously. _You don't know where you are, except that you're high up in an apartment. You have no idea who these people are or what they're going to do with you. Shit._

"I want to go home." Sora said quietly.

Riku snorted as he slid out of the chair and walked over to stand over him. "Stop whining. You're not going home. Deal with it."

Sora turned his gaze back to the ground. He was starting to feel sick.

He heard Riku walk away and sighed, some tension leaving him.

"Here."

Sora looked up, frowning. Riku was back and holding an ice pack out to him. Hesitantly, Sora took it and looked up at him questioningly.

"It'll make your head feel better." Riku muttered, turning away and walking out of the room.

Sora clutched his fingers around the white ice bag before pressing it gingerly against his head.

"Thanks." He whispered to the spot where Riku had been standing.

0o0o0o0o0

Joh: ah, so he does have a heart.

Jessie: How cute!

Joh: Ain't it? Simply adorable! So tell me what you guys think.

Riku: -Rolls eyes- Don't bother, she never updates.

Joh: Shut up you! I'm failing half my classes…and exams are coming up…

Jessie: You still have a month sweetie.

Joh: ….

Riku: Stupid. Just admit it, you spend all your spare time playing video games.

Joh: -Shouts over Riku- So review please! And I'll try very hard to update!


	2. Chapter 2

**Killing Time**

Disclaimer: Don't own it.

Joh: Wow I really hate fighting Luxford. He's so annoying! With his stupid cards and his stupid dice…

Jessie: Aw, you already beat him so no need to keep hating him.

Joh: I know…ugh I think I ate too much ramen.

Jessie: Didn't I tell you not to have ramen for breakfast?

Joh: Uh…maybe?

Warnings: Yaoi, language

0o0o0o0

The office was large and bland. A dark wooden desk was propped up in the center of the room with a few dark green armchairs sitting rigidly before it. The long windows had thick green curtains pulled in front of them, hiding the sunlight from view. The ticking of the clock upon the wall filled the room with a rhythmic tapping, the only sound breaking the stifling silence.

Suddenly the door flung open, banging loudly against the wall. A tall man with fierce green eyes strode into the room as he kicked the door shut behind him.

"So what was the point of getting the kid?" Axel sat down and ran a hand through his wild red hair. "Seems kinda pointless to me."

The man sitting across him in front of the desk sighed. "You may not believe me, but I ordered Riku to kidnap him for his own sake."

Axel stared then laughed. He shook his head, still laughing. "You expect me to believe that bullshit? I mean, _come on_ man…since when have you cared about the welfare of your dogs?"

"Well, as you know Riku has proved to a bit…unstable. The last thing I want is for him to crack." The man smiled coldly. "After all, Riku is one of my best assassins. It would be unfortunate to lose him."

"That still doesn't explain how kiddo will help."

The man shrugged. "If you're so interested then do some research and find out." He slid two folders across the desk to Axel. "Give the white one to Riku. The other is yours."

"Another assignment? Oh great!" Axel grabbed the folders and stood up, tucking them under his arm. "You know I _love _these things."

"Oh, and Axel? Take Roxas with you on your assignment."

"Roxas? Why?" The red-haired man raised an eyebrow as he opened the door to leave.

"No reason." A hand was waved carelessly at him, directing him to leave. Axel paused in the doorway before shrugging and stepping out of the room.

0o0

_Bam!_

Sora's eyes snapped open as he jumped and sat up. He wiped the sleep from his eyes and looked around, confused. For a moment he was sure that he had fallen asleep on the floor of his bedroom doing homework. But then the dreary gray walls and white carpeting brought back the memories of the previous night.

He groaned and fell back on the couch, shutting his eyes. He couldn't believe this was real, it all felt very much like a dream gone wrong.

_Bam! _

What was that sound? Sora looked up and around, frowning.

"Damn it! I'm coming!" He heard Riku snap angrily followed by the thud of harsh footsteps. He listened as the front door swung open. "It's fucking five in the morning. This better be good." Riku's voice growled through the apartment.

"Roxas kicked me out so I came here because I knew you'd welcome me with open arms!" a cheery voice said. Sora could guess it was Axel.

"….You're lucky I don't have my gun with me right now."

Sora quickly ducked his head when the two walked into the room. He glanced down at his hand and realized that he was clutching the now warm ice pack that Riku had given him the night before.

"Hey, kid." Axel grinned and flopped down on the couch next to him, the red tattoos under his eyes seemed even brighter this morning.

Sora scowled at him but said nothing, choosing instead to look up at Riku curiously. The silver haired kidnapper was glaring icily at Axel with his arms crossed over his bare chest. His simple gray pajama bottoms hung low on his hips and his foot tapped against the floor in impatience.

"If you're not going to say anything useful then get out." Riku growled impatiently, shaking his long bangs out of his eyes.

Axel raised an eyebrow as he flashed his teeth at him all the same. "Aw, you wouldn't kick out your best friend."

"Your not my best friend." Riku said blankly. "Actually, you're not even _a _friend. You're a friendly acquaintance…at best." He added on, a small smirk tugging at the corners of his lips.

"You wound me with such words."

"Good. Now get the fuck out of my apartment before I go find my gun."

Axel held up his hands before draping an arm around Sora's shoulders. "_Seriously_, lighten up a bit." He wiggled his eyebrows then sighed when Riku just glared at him. "Okay, okay. I've got an assignment for you." He pulled out a white envelope and tossed it to Riku.

Riku caught it with one hand, still looking murderously at Axel. "Great. Thanks. Get out."

Axel chuckled and stood up, stretching his long arms over his head. He reached down and ruffled Sora's messy brown hair, much to his displeasure. "I love you too, Riku." He cooed before being forced to duck his head as a small glass cup was thrown at him.

It shattered shrilly against the wall, sending glinting little pieces flying across the floor.

Axel clicked his tongue disapprovingly at Riku before hurrying out of the apartment. Even guys like Axel knew better then to push Riku's limits.

Riku was glaring down at the shards of glass, a frown twisting his lips as he nudged a jagged piece with his toe. He sighed and swept his hair back before turning to Sora. "Hungry?"

"Um…" Sora trailed off, only just realizing that indeed he was hungry. Starving, actually. "Yeah…" Was it okay for him to eat when he should be looking for an escape?

Uncertainly he followed Riku into the kitchen and pulled himself up onto one of the small wooden stools at the counter. He rested his hands on the cool marble as he watched Riku open the glass door of the refrigerator. He rummaged through it and pulled out bottled water along with a bag of bagels.

Silently he tossed the water to Sora who nearly fell off the stool as he caught it clumsily.

Sora unscrewed the cap and took greedy gulps of water as he glanced about the large kitchen. From what he could see out the windows they were pretty high up, so that ruled out escaping out the windows.

The apartment door was in the kitchen's corner next to a silver trashcan. Sora stared at the door before turning his gaze to Riku and sighing. He remembered the assassin's speed well from the night before. He wouldn't underestimate him again.

_This makes things a lot harder. _Sora thought grimly to himself. He watched Riku shake out two bagels onto the counter. Looking at him now, he didn't seem like a killer. He looked…well, normal. _And last night he gave me that ice pack. He can't be all bad._

Maybe Sora could talk him out of keeping him captive. Maybe he could convince Riku to let him go!

With a nervous grin on his face he settled his chin in his hands as he peered at Riku curiously. "Hey. Thanks for the ice pack."

Riku glanced at him before tossing him the bagel and grunting a response.

It was silent for a bit as Sora ate his bagel, staring down at the floor. He peeked up through his dark bangs and watched Riku pick at the bagel he had taken out for himself. He was leaning against the door casually; the morning sunlight bathed his silver hair in dusty light making it look like it was almost glowing.

Hard to believe someone so angelic looking was an assassin.

"We're on the 10th story so you can't climb out the windows unless you want to die. This whole building is full of assassin's working for the organization I'm with, so even if you do get past me you'll get caught by someone else before you can even reach the third floor. And the only phone in this apartment is my cell phone which I keep with me at all times." Riku suddenly told him, bright eyes piercing him.

Sora frowned. "Why are you telling me this?"

"You were thinking of how to escape. Thought I would save you some trouble and tell you not to bother. It's useless."

"You're telling me to give up then?" Sora flushed angrily. "Just sit around and wait for someone to eventually kill me?" he snorted and shook his head indignantly.

When Riku didn't respond Sora sighed. "Do you…like your job?"

He moved so fast Sora didn't have time to react. It felt like the words had only just left his lips that he found himself knocked off the stool he had perched himself on and pinned to the counter.

His back cried out in protest as he was arched over the cold surface, back flat against the marble counter while his feet dangled an inch off the ground.

Riku breathed heavily in his face, eyes narrowed in rage as he bared his teeth. "You think I _like _being this?" he snarled, his nails digging into Sora's shoulders.

Sora winced and shook his head. "No!" he gasped. "I didn't mean it like that…I just…" he broke off in a sharp cry as Riku shook him roughly so that his head banged against the hard counter. _Oh god, what if he kills me? _Sora thought as pain exploded down his neck and shoulders.

Riku no longer looked like your average guy. From a simple sentence he had transformed into a man who looked very much like he was capable of murder.

And Sora was scared. Even more scared than the previous night when he had a gun pointed at his head.

With shocked eyes, Sora stared into Riku's greenish blue orbs. They were filled with anger, raw fury…and pain.

_I wonder…what you've gone through._

Sora wondered as he reached up to try and push Riku away. As his fingers touched Riku's bare chest the man tensed up, as if he had been shocked.

He suddenly leapt back, releasing his punishing hold on Sora.

The younger boy fell to the floor in a crumpled heap, staring up at Riku, bewildered.

Riku stared back at him, stricken, before turning around and sweeping out of the room.

0o0

"Hey."

Axel looked up and grinned widely. "Roxas! I thought you weren't speaking to me!" he made to stand up but changed his mind and pulled out a chair at the table for Roxas instead.

The young blonde boy stared at him blankly before sighing and taking a seat across from him. "Well now I am." He peered at Axel through his jagged blonde bangs. "Problem with that?"

Axel laughed and leaned back in the metal chair. "I never have a problem listening to you. Got that memorized?" he joked as he cast his green eyed gaze across the bar, studying the few occupants with detached amusement.

Roxas sniffed the drink and frowned, pushing it back towards Axel. "Beer. I'm too young to drink, remember?" he arched a thin eyebrow.

Axel snatched back the beer, looking offended. "Like age has ever mattered to you. You're too young to be working the same job as me, but that's never bothered you."

The blonde boy's expression swiftly changed. He stared down at the table, gazing at the shiny silver surface with bright blue eyes. "Actually…I've been thinking…" he trailed off, biting his lower lip.

"What?" A small pit of dread twisted uneasily inside of Axel as he watched his best friend squirm. Ever since Roxas had been assigned a certain job he had been acting strangely.

Roxas looked up slowly, regarding Axel carefully. "You see…it's like…." He sighed as he struggled to find the right words. "I can't get him out of my head!"

Axel scowled, jealousy leaping into his eyes. "Who?" he demanded.

"Hayner." The blonde answered dully.

"Wasn't he…?"

"The boy I killed? Yeah." Roxas squeezed his hand into a tight fist. "He was innocent. He didn't do anything wrong, he didn't deserve to…"

"He was a witness. He had to die." Axel reminded him quietly.

Roxas shook his head and ran a hand through his spiky locks.

"If we let him live he would have endangered the organization." Axel continued, feeling a bit of panic rising within him.

Roxas looked down at his clenched fist then looked back up, locking eyes with Axel. "I'm sorry, Axel, but I want out."

0o0o0o0o0

Joh: Yeah, not much happened.

Jessie: The first few chapters are always plot filled anyway.

Joh: Yeah. I really like writing Roxas. I know a lot of people didn't like the beginning of Kingdom Hearts 2 but I _loved _playing Roxas. It was my favorite part!

Jessie: Because Roxas reminds her of her cat. –Giggles-

Joh: Heh.


	3. Chapter 3

**Killing Time**

Disclaimer: Don't own anything…except myself.

Warnings: Yaoi, language

Joh: Thank you guys so much for the wonderful reviews! I'm so happy I have around 32 reviews already! You guys are great!

Jessie: Good job sis!

Joh: -Grins and hugs- I'm…so happy…I finally got to the really pretty scene in FFX where Tidus and Yuna kiss!

Jessie: Aw, was it all sparkley?

Joh: Yep! It was so pretty!

0o0o0oo0

Sora sighed and drew his legs up against his chest as he gazed out the rain painted window. His breath drew little clouds of pearl across the cold glass, blurring the vision of cars and buildings outside.

He wondered if his parents were really worried by now. He hoped they were. He imagined his mother frantically calling the police and stumbling over her words as she explained to them that she didn't know where her son was. And his father would be standing behind her frowning in silent concern.

Maybe the police were searching for him. Maybe he had a chance at being rescued. Sora hoped so since his chances of escaping by himself seemed slim.

Would his friends wonder where he was when they noticed he wasn't in school? He smiled slightly as he realized that Tidus wouldn't have anyone to copy off of and have no essay to turn in. Maybe he would copy off of Wakka….no…Wakka would never let him copy off of him.

His laughed weakly when he imagined Tidus begging Wakka to have a 'peek' at his paper.

"What are you laughing about?" a voice snapped.

Sora stiffened. He had been doing his best to avoid Riku all day, which was pretty difficult considering that he was stuck in a small apartment with him.

"Nothing…" Sora muttered, turning his head to glance at the assassin. "I just want to go home." He added on in an undertone.

"What was that?" Riku scowled at him as he pulled on a long black coat.

"I didn't say anything." Sora frowned, walking over to the couch and sitting down. Conscious of the icy glare Riku was directing towards him he turned on the T.V and switched to the News station. Maybe his disappearance would be reported.

"-Two rather well known soldiers hired to guard his daughter. One would wonder what he's afraid of."

An image of two young men flashed across the screen. One was tall with shaggy brown hair and steely eyes while the other had messy blonde hair and clear blue eyes. They were both frowning at the camera, looking annoyed.

"Well this changes things."

Sora turned around to stare at Riku who was studying the screen with an amused expression.

"What? You know them?" he asked.

Riku shrugged as he slipped his gun inside his coat. "You could say that." He said quietly, putting on the pair of blue tinted shades Sora had first seen him in. He noticed that Riku was wearing the black gloves again.

"Are you going out?" Sora asked, trying to sound indifferent. With Riku gone escape would be slightly easier.

Riku smirked before pulling his hood up and casting his pale face in shadow. "Yes. A colleague of mine will be coming to baby-sit you." His tone was mocking.

Sora gritted his teeth and turned away determinedly from his kidnapper. "Why bother with that? You already told me the building is full of assholes like you…unless that was a lie…"

"It wasn't. Roxas is coming as a precaution." Riku stared at him with unseen eyes before turning swiftly and heading to the kitchen. "I'm leaving now. Don't do anything stupid or I'll make you regret it."

Sora snorted but said nothing, keeping his eyes fixed on the screen. He turned down the volume as he listened to the door opening then slamming shut. Quickly he turned off the T.V and leapt out of his seat.

Eagerly he peeked into the kitchen and saw to his delight that Riku really had left. Hopefully this Roxas guy wouldn't arrive anytime soon.

He reached out with shaking fingers to touch the doorknob. What he was really scared of was that Riku would be standing right there when he opened the door, ready to shove him back into the apartment, smirking coldly.

He grasped the knob, turning the lock slowly. _Open the door. Open the door. It's better to at least try to escape then just sit around…open the door…OPEN THE DOOR!_

Taking a deep breath, he flung the door open and squeezed his eyes shut as if preparing himself for a blow.

When none came he slowly opened his eyes and peered carefully into the narrow hallway. A row of dark green doors lined the white hall, all shut tightly looking completely identical.

Sora shuddered as he remembered how Riku had told him how assassins such as himself lived here.

Slowly he stepped out onto the roughly carpeted floor of the hallway. He gave a silent sigh of relief when the floor didn't creak with his movements.

Gingerly he shut the door behind him and took a second step forward. He couldn't believe how easy this was!

It was so simple it almost made him suspicious.

Breaking into a silent run he dashed down the hallway, searching for the elevators.

0o0

"When you said you wanted 'out'…did you mean like….a vacation or…"

"No, Axel." Roxas sighed as he propped his feet up against the dashboard. He studied his faded black Converse All Stars, not wanting to see the panicked look Axel was shooting him. "I want to quit the organization. For good."

Axel turned the car sharply at a corner, causing the blonde to curse as he jolted in his seat. "But you can't quit! They'll kill you if you try to leave." He pulled into the apartment building's parking lot and glanced at Roxas, scowling.

Roxas snorted as he dropped his feet down and unbuckled himself. "Well if they do then it doesn't matter. No one will miss me." He said off-handedly. He reached out to open the car door when Axel grabbed his wrist. He looked up, frowning. "What?"

Axel's green eyes were blazing under his mane of red hair as he leaned closer to him. "Don't leave…not yet." He hissed, leaning in so that their lips brushed when he spoke.

Roxas reached up with his free hand to push Axel away but the red-head grabbed his other wrist as it lifted up. He smirked and sealed his lips against his, thrusting his tongue into his mouth.

The blonde moaned and wrapped his tongue over Axel's playfully. Axel nibbled on his bottom lip before sucking on it, delighted when Roxas arched into the kiss.

He pulled back after a moment, breathing heavily. "Two more weeks. Stay for two more weeks at the very least."

Roxas blinked out of his daze and pouted. "That's unfair." He groaned. "There's no way I'll say no after that!"

Axel snickered and let himself out of the car. "Come on, we don't want to keep Riku's pet waiting."

0o0

A sigh escaped Sora's lips as the elevator doors finally slid open with a clank. He brushed his bangs out of his eyes then moved to step forward into the elevator.

Then he froze.

There were two people already in the elevator arguing loudly. They both stopped talking at the same time to turn and stare at Sora who in turn stared at them.

One of them was a boy who looked no older than Sora with messy blonde hair and bright blue eyes. He was wearing a simply white t-shirt with a sketchy set of drums printed across the chest. His jeans were a faded and the gloves on his hands checkered black and white. Sora didn't recognize him but he did recognize the man he had been arguing with.

Axel.

"Hey, how did you…" Axel started saying slowly, frowning at him.

And Sora ran. He didn't even wait for the tattooed assassin to finish his thought. Frantically he darted down the hallways looking for a stairwell.

"Not good, not good, not good." He hissed as he ran. He heard Axel curse loudly and yell at the blonde boy to catch him.

Sora bit his lip and pushed himself to run faster.

He was running so fast that he almost missed the door labeled STAIRS. He skidded to a stop, threw open the door, and leapt down the stairs. His footsteps thudding against the gray concrete stairs echoed down the stairwell, the sound magnified so that it sounded like a crowd of people was descending the flight of stairs.

His heart hammered in his chest when the door was flung open and Axel and the blonde appeared.

"We've got you." Axel sneered as he and the boy flew down the stairs with a frightening speed.

Sora let out a frustrated cry as he tried to run faster down the stairs without tripping. He was almost down the second flight…maybe he could jump the last four…

Bad idea.

Sora landed heavily, his palms scraping against the rough floor. He scrambled to his feet and stumbled forward only to be stopped by a firm hand gripping the neck of his shirt.

As he was jerked back Sora wailed in desperation, kicking and thrashing, as he was lifted up and tossed over Axel's broad shoulder like a sack of meat.

"Let me go! Just let me go!" he cried, his voice ringing off the walls.

Axel flinched at his loud voice but otherwise ignored him as he wrapped an arm around his knees and walked slowly back up the stairs. Back to his prison.

Sora beat against Axel's black clad back with his clenched fists until he was worn out and forced to give up. He went limp in the assassin's grasp and turned his head to glare at the blonde boy following behind them.

The boy was staring at him…no…studying him with an almost pitying look.

Sora averted his gaze to the floor. He didn't want to be looked at like that, especially by someone who was no doubt in league with them.

0o0

Axel cracked his knuckles and stepped back with a satisfied grin. "All set? Think I can leave you with him now?"

Roxas rolled his eyes as he took a seat on the sofa. "Tying him up was unnecessary." He told his partner flatly.

"Yeah well…we don't want him causing you any trouble." He sent Sora a bitter look. The moment they had gotten into Riku's apartment and set Sora down the brunette had attacked Axel. That of course had triggered a small scuffle of sorts, which ended with a small bruise on Axel's jaw and Sora sitting moodily on the floor with his hands tied behind him.

Roxas smirked up at Axel. "I can't believe he was able to punch you."

"Shut up. I was caught off guard." Axel growled before stalking off into the kitchen to raid Riku's fridge.

Roxas shook his head, laughing quietly.

"Are you an assassin too?"

Roxas glanced down at Sora with a raised eyebrow. "For now, yes."

He watched as Sora's blue eyes widened considerably. Sora suddenly looked away, an expression Roxas couldn't work out flitting across his features.

The two were silent as they listened to Axel in the other room opening a beer.

"What's the purpose of your organization?" Sora asked softly, staring intently at the wall.

"To rid this world of the corrupt." Roxas said automatically. At Sora's blank look he elaborated. "See, everyone whose part of this group has realized how dirty our world is. We all wanted to change that, fix what was wrong." _Except I'm not so sure this is the right way to do that anymore. _Roxas thought darkly.

Sora looked up suddenly, eyes shining with anger. "You think _killing_ people is going to make things right?" he demanded indignantly.

When Roxas didn't answer Sora huffed and shook his head. "Killing people doesn't solve anything."

Roxas looked away and out the window into the gray sky. _I know that…I already know that._

0o0

Riku pulled his shades off as he stepped into his apartment. Carefully he peeled off his gloves and set the items on the kitchen table. He glanced at the counter and noticed the empty beer bottle. Axel must have been here. He made a mental note to take back the extra key he had given the redhead.

He kicked off his boots and walked into the living room. He blinked when his eyes settled on the small form of Sora. The small _bound _form of Sora, to be more exact.

The boy was lying on his side in the middle of the room, his back facing Riku. His hands twitched in the ropes binding them together.

He turned to Roxas who was watching T.V and raised an eyebrow questioningly. Roxas glanced down at Sora then back at the T.V, shrugging. "Axel did it."

Riku nodded then preceded thought the room to his bedroom where he then flung his coat off. Carelessly he pulled off his black shirt and flung it in the corner of the room. He made his way into the bathroom where he started a shower and stripped off the rest of his clothes.

He always took a shower after an assignment.

He stepped into the shower and shut the glass door behind him. Steam soon fogged the glass and created a soft mist in the large bathroom as he turned the water hotter and hotter.

He leaned against the slick tiles of the wall and let water fall into this eyes and run down his lips. Silver hair stuck to his face and neck as he tilted his head up to meet the torrent of hot water.

"Fuck." He hissed, clenching his fists and digging his nails into the soft skin of his palm. "Fuck!" he repeated, banging his arm against the glass door so that it rattled at the impact.

0o0

Riku walked back into the living room and noticed that Roxas had left. He rubbed the white towel harder into his hair to dry it and glanced down at Sora.

Sora was still lying on his side but he was facing Riku this time. As his eyes met Riku's he frowned slightly.

"You hate this job, don't you?" he asked softly, eyes sad.

Riku scowled at him and turned around to walk back into his bedroom.

Sora's clear voice stopped him. "You can always quit…. you can live a normal life. There's always that choice."

Live a normal life? Riku shook his head and snorted. Sora had no idea.

Without a word Riku went to bed and fell into another haunted dream just like the one from last night and the night before that and the night before that…

0o00o0o0o0

Joh: I realize there isn't a lot of RikuxSora action yet but that's because I'm trying to make it realistic. It's building up to a relationship.

Jessie: So try and be patient please!

Joh: Yes, please do!


	4. Chapter 4

**Killing Time**

Disclaimer: Don't own anything. Blah.

Joh: So yeah…um…I've been trying to update a lot since I've been in Korea

Jessie: Yay! Korea has cool clothes!

Joh: I know…heh heh heh.

Jessie: …I hope you didn't spend all your money there…

Joh: I didn't! Really…I didn't…

Warnings: Yaoi, language

0o0o0o0o0

Sora groaned as his eyes fluttered open. He twisted over onto his back and let out a pained hiss when his body protested at the movement. Apparently sleeping on the floor caused some body cramps.

He wiggled his hands in the ropes binding them and bit his lip when the bonds rubbed roughly against his sore skin.

He struggled into a sitting position but gave up when he realized that both his legs were asleep. "Stupid Axel." He grumbled, blowing his bangs out of his eyes.

Quietly he watched Riku drift out of the bedroom with a bunch of papers fluttering in his hand.

He was riffling through the small stack with a bored expression. He paused halfway across the room and glanced down at Sora, as if surprised to see him there.

Sora frowned at him. "What? You gonna stare at me or untie me?"

Riku smirked as he shook his hair back. "I like you better tied up."

The teen huffed. He didn't know Riku very well, but he did discover after being stuck with him for a few days that he had major mood swings.

With a resentful look at the older man he rolled over to the wall and used that as support to help him up into a sitting position.

Pushing his back up against the wall he strained his muscles as he inched upwards until he was standing.

Sora stumbled his way into the kitchen, still glaring at the silver-haired assassin.

"If you keep looking at me like that I won't give you any food." Riku murmured as he set the papers down on the table and opened the fridge.

Sora hastily averted his gaze from Riku to the white tiled floor. He studied his blurry reflection in the tiles while trying his best to ignore the rumbling in his stomach. He hadn't eaten anything last night and Sora had never missed a meal before.

Wincing, he stepped over to the small kitchen table and peered at the papers lying there. He glanced nervously at Riku, expecting him to snatch them away and glare at him for looking. But he didn't. Riku merely looked at him, expression flat, before turning his attention back to the bacon he was cooking.

Sora let out a sigh of relief as he went back to the papers curiously. A picture of a young girl around 16 or 17 lay on top of the papers. Her curly blonde hair fell past her shoulders in a thick braid. Shining eyes looked up as they reflected her polite smile.

"Who is she?" Sora asked, entranced.

"My next assignment."

Sora froze. "You…you're gonna kill her?" he asked, shocked. The smell of bacon wrapped around his nostrils, reminding him strongly of home. It was an oddly comforting smell, which seemed out of place in Riku's bland apartment.

"What do you think?" Riku muttered, tossing two slices of bacon on a plate.

"You can't!" Sora spun around, nearly losing his balance. He caught himself on the edge of the table and let out a gasp of pain. Riku watched him, unsympathetic. "She's innocent!"

"She's the daughter of a corrupt man who owes us money. He hasn't paid up." Riku said with a shrug as he placed the plate of bacon on the table.

"Then she hasn't done anything!" Sora snarled, eyes blazing. "She's _innocent_!"

"Do you want the bacon or not?" Riku growled back, his good mood evaporating.

Sora cast the steaming plate a disgusted look. "Forget it. I'm not hungry anymore." He turned to walk out of the room when a hand caught him by the shoulder and spun around.

"Why do you care?" Riku hissed, breath playing across Sora's lips. "You've never met her, what's it matter to you if she lives or not?"

"She doesn't deserve to die. No one deserves to die." Sora looked up into Riku's marble like eyes.

"What about murderers?"

Sora took a deep breath as he struggled to get out of Riku's grip, but without the use of his hands that was nearly impossible. "If you believe killers ought to die then you're saying that you should die too!"

Riku froze, eyes widening. "Maybe…" he caught himself before he could finish the sentence. Angrily he threw Sora away from him, sneering when Sora hit the wall and crumpled to the floor. "What do you know?" he whispered before grabbing his gloves and shades and rushing out the door.

0o0

"Sora?" Roxas called out as he stepped into the apartment and shut the door behind him. He had just gotten a breathless phone call from Riku demanding that he head over to his place and check up on Sora.

The blond didn't have anything better to do, so he agreed.

"You here?" he glanced around the kitchen, eyes resting on the plate of cold bacon before landing on Sora who sat in a defeated position on the floor.

Sora looked up at Roxas, eyebrows furrowed together as if he had a headache. "Can you…untie my hands?" he asked quietly.

Roxas blinked. "You're still tied up?" When Sora's frown darkened he hastily made his way over to the brown haired boy and plucked at the ropes.

After a moment of struggling with the tight knots he managed to undo them, marveling at Axel's skill with knots.

Sora let out a relaxed sigh as he rubbed the life back into his wrists. The skin was red and chapped, small blisters spotting the underside of his wrist where the skin was softer.

The blond inspected his wrists, guilt tugging at him. "Sorry." He muttered.

"About what?" Sora blinked his wide eyes up at him. "It's not your fault."

"I let Axel do that…" he trailed off and sighed as he got up and reached for the plate of bacon. "And I can't let you escape."

Sora was silent for a few moments as he watched Roxas reheat the breakfast he had refused in the microwave. "I don't need your help. I'll escape by myself." He finally said, glaring determinedly out the window.

Roxas glanced at him with a grim expression. "With Riku watching over you I highly doubt that."

"Maybe I'll be rescued." Sora stood up and grinned. "I mean, people have got to be looking for me by now."

"I doubt they'll find you. And even if anyone does come close to finding you they'll be shot."

Sora paled. "…Really?"

Roxas nodded as the microwave beeped twice. He pulled out the plate and set it down on the table. "Hungry?"

Sora hesitated but as his stomach rumbled embarrassingly loud he accepted the food and got up to eat.

The blonde assassin took a seat beside Sora at the table, watching him wolf down the strips of bacon.

Once Sora finished he turned to Roxas, looking thoughtful. "Why did you join this group?"

Roxas leaned back in his seat, frowning slightly. "I…I didn't have anywhere else to turn and…" he broke off, not willing to share anymore.

Sora stared at him for a moment before smiling slightly. "It's okay. You don't need to tell me. I was just curious." He reached out to pat his arm comfortingly.

Roxas tensed up at the contact but then suddenly relaxed into his seat. A warm, soothing feeling washed over him, chasing away his thoughts. "No…I can tell you." He heard himself speaking as if through a haze. "My parents were shot by a robber when I was little…and…Axel found me on the streets a few years later…" he trailed off softly, eyes fluttering shut.

"You were living on the streets?" Sora sounded shocked as his grip around Roxas' arm tightened.

"Kind of…I didn't have any other living relatives and I didn't want to go to an orphanage…" Roxas sighed gently and opened his eyes slightly. "I'm sorry I can't help you."

Sora pulled his hand away, suddenly looking grim. "That's alright…I'll find a way." He had been so sure that Roxas would help him after he had opened up like that. Roxas wasn't like the others, Sora was sure of that.

He glanced at Roxas, frowning slightly. "Are you okay?"

Roxas was blinking rapidly and shaking his head, as if trying to clear a headache. "I…" he stared at Sora before suddenly getting up. "What did you do?" he demanded suddenly.

Sora blinked, bewildered. "I didn't do anything."

"You…" Roxas broke off as his voice trembled. He hastily clasped a hand against his lips as he fluttered his eyes, as if struggling to hold back tears. Without another word he hurried out of the apartment and slammed the door shut behind him.

As he ran down the hall he kept his hand pressed against his mouth and his other arm wrapped around his stomach as if he was about to be sick.

What was happening to him? No one but Axel knew his story…no one! A few people had asked him before, how a kid like himself had gotten involved with Organization XIII, but he had always brushed them off with a glare or evaded the question.

Why would he spill his whole background to a naïve boy like Sora?

Roxas wiped furiously at his eyes, disgusted to see that he had been close to crying. It had been years since he had last cried. Even after killing Hayner he hadn't cried. Sure, he had restless nights ever since that assignment and felt doubts about the organization…but he hadn't _cried. _

Why was he crying?

Roxas stopped outside of the elevators and pushed the down button. He took a few calming breaths and could already feel his composure returning. There was something strange about Sora…something different that he would have to look into.

0o0

Riku returned to his apartment late in the night. He kicked off his shoes at the door and tossed his shades and gloves on the kitchen counter. He ran a hand through his pale hair as he walked into the living room, exhaustion from his work sweeping over him.

As he stepped into his bedroom he froze, eyes narrowing. The city lights from the open window illuminated the small figure curled up in his bed.

He moved silently over to the bed and sat down on the edge, being careful not to wake Sora. Riku studied the sleeping boy's face, marveling at how care free Sora must be to fall asleep in his captor's own bed.

Sora's face seemed even younger in the dim light, and his long lashes curled against his cheeks gave him an almost feminine look. His hair seemed less spiky and Riku realized a moment later it was because his hair was wet. Sora must have taken a shower (which somewhat annoyed Riku since that meant Sora would be getting his pillow wet).

As Riku stared down at him he had an overwhelming urge to reach out and touch the boy, as if that would help him understand Sora. Hesitantly he raised his hand and uncurled his fingers to brush them against Sora's smooth skin.

He wanted to know why Sora cared so much about a stranger's life.

What made him believe so strongly that killing was wrong, even if the person being killed deserved it? Why were his views so different?

Riku's green eyes darkened as he brushed his knuckles against Sora's cheek. "What makes you think you're right?" he whispered in a bitter tone.

As his skin made contact with Sora's his exhaustion was swept away into a comfortable bliss. An easy heaviness drifted over him, urging him to sleep and wait until tomorrow to worry.

With a sigh Riku settled down into bed and closed his eyes. The comforting warmth of Sora's small body lulled him to sleep, allowing him to rest with pleasant memories for the first time in years.

0o0o0o0oo0

Joh: Yeah…this all seems very confusing right now…and I'm really sorry about that…just give it time and things will start to click…

Jessie: So be patient please!

Joh: Uh huh….and to answer something someone commented about…Sora seems a bit too comfortable in his situation? Maybe…I'll try and fix that. And Riku seems too nice? Well…I'll try and fix that too. He may seem way too nice in this chapter but…well…

Jessie: Let's just see where this goes!

Joh: yeah, what she said!


	5. Chapter 5

**Killing Time**

Disclaimer: Won't ever own ANYTHING

Joh: So I was going through my stories and I started re-reading this and felt like updating it. So it's NOT on hold anymore!

Jessie: Yay!

Joh: Yay indeed.

Warnings: Yaoi, language, stuff

0o0o00o0o0o0o0

"Well ain't this cute?"

Sora woke groggily to the sound of someone laughing hysterically. He looked around the room, blinking and rubbing his eyes. He saw a tall shape of a man standing over the bed and for a moment he thought the man's head was on fire.

"Your head! It's…" he trailed off as his mind cleared and he realized that it wasn't a man with his head on fire, it was just Axel.

Axel raised an eyebrow. "What about my head?"

"It's uh…nice?"

Axel looked like he was going to ask him something before Roxas hurried into the bedroom, looking flustered.

"What. Are. You. Doing?" he hissed, grabbing Axel by the arm and dragging him to the door.

"But look Roxy! They're in _bed _together!" Axel cooed.

"Look, you know how Riku can get in the morning, especially when he wakes up with someone laughing at him. So let's just go before…"

Sora jumped at the same time Roxas did when the gun went off. Axel continued grinning wickedly, despite the bullet hole in the wall only a few inches from him. "Good morning love bird!" he sang before Roxas could drag him out of the room.

Sora turned to look at Riku, eyes wide with shock. Riku was sitting up in bed with his long hair hanging in his face, gun still pointing forward. "Fucking…moron." Riku grumbled setting the gun aside.

"Ah! I'm sorry!" Sora gasped, stumbling to get out of bed. "I was just tired and the bed it looked so comfy!"

Riku just glared at him and stripped the sheets away and slid out of bed. Without even glancing at Sora he padded out of the room, leaving the young teen feeling anxious and confused.

He hesitated for a moment before getting up and following Riku out of the room.

Riku was screaming at Axel in the kitchen, threatening and cursing him. Roxas was at the microwave, heating up 3 cups of ramen as he ignored the noise around him.

Sora would have laughed at the scene if he hadn't been scared that Riku would turn on him and quite possibly shoot him.

"—Can't even get a fucking good sleep with you barging in and—"

"Good morning Sora." Roxas greeted him, raising his voice over Riku. He took the cups of ramen out and handed one to Sora.

"Thanks…" Sora smiled weakly before peeling the lid off. After Roxas handed him a pair of chopsticks he eagerly dug into it, the smell of ramen filling his nose.

But then a hand lashed out and knocked the cup of noodles right out of his hands. Riku stood over him, eyes narrowed. "I didn't _say_ you could eat." He snarled.

The room suddenly fell silent, even Axel's wide grin slid off his face.

Sora stared down at what could have been his meal strewn across the tiled floor. He could feel Riku glaring at him.

The silver-haired assassin turned to the other two and bared his teeth. "Now. Get out."

Axel frowned and looked like he was about to protest but Roxas laid a small hand over his arm, silencing him. The two left the apartment, completely silent. Sora looked up in time to see Roxas send him a worried look before the door shut.

Gulping, Sora glanced at Riku. Was he really _that _mad about Sora sleeping in his bed?

"I won't do it again." Sora said miserably. "But I don't see why you're this upset about that. I just wanted somewhere soft to sleep…"

"Shut up!" Riku slammed a fist into the kitchen counter, making Sora flinch. "It's not about that."

"Oh…"

Riku had turned away from him so that all Sora could see was his trembling back. He started to bend down so that he could clean up the mess but Riku's voice stopped him.

"Don't touch it."

"But…"

Riku spun around, green eyes blazing. "You're in my house, sharing my place, and under _MY _care." He grabbed Sora by the shoulders and shook him. "You're mine and you'll do as I say!" he hissed.

Sora's blue eyes widened. Riku had always been scary from the start, but this was different. He twisted in Riku's harsh grasp. "What is your problem?" he gasped out, reaching up to push him away.

"You!" Riku shoved him against the wall, knocking his head about. "What you said yesterday…"

"Yesterday?"

"Acting like you cared about that girl I have to kill…"

"I do care!" Sora snapped, eyes narrowing. "What makes you think I was pretending?"

"Why would you care? You don't even know her!" Riku growled, frustration curving his lips into a scowl.

Sora ignored the nails digging into his shoulders. "Because no one has the right to take a life from another."

"What are you, a saint?" Riku sneered.

"It doesn't take a saint to know that." Sora retorted, anger welling up inside of him. "You know it's wrong too! You!!"

But Sora never got to finish his sentence. His cheek stung and burned as he registered what had just happened. Riku had slapped him.

He looked up at Riku, but when he saw the young man's expression his anger faded.

Riku was staring past him, anger and confusion in his eyes. As Sora looked at him he realized something. Riku didn't want to kill that girl anymore than Sora himself wanted Riku to.

"I'm sorry." Sora whispered, watching as Riku stumbled away from him into the living room.

The teen followed him, eyes sad when Riku collapsed on the couch.

Sora took a seat next to him. He hesitated before he gingerly wrapped his thin arms around the assassin.

Riku tensed, his whole body going rigid. But he didn't protest. He just sighed and shut his eyes, slouching down into the cushions.

Sora took this as a positive sign and tightened his arms around him. Holding Riku in his arms, Sora wondered what kind of life Riku had led before he had joined this organization.

How hard had it been for Riku to bury his conscience? How much did it hurt for Sora to be digging it back up?

0o0o0o0o0

Joh: I know it's really short but I just wanted to post this as quickly as I could so that people would now I'm working on it again. And this time I have the whole plot worked out.

Jessie: Yay! You've been doing a lot of writing lately.

Joh: I know, it's because the school year is basically over.


	6. Chapter 6

**Killing Time**

Disclaimer: I wish I could own Riku…. and Sora…and every other Kingdom Hearts character…but the sad truth is that I don't. And I never will.

Joh: Wow! I've been so out of it! I'm trying to find a hair gel that can do crazy gravity defying spikes but I'm having trouble with that since I'm poor and I can't afford buying tons of different brands and seeing what works best.

Jessie: But you have plenty of time…Otakon isn't for another 2 or 3 months…

Joh: THAT'S NOTHING! -Screams and falls down-

Jessie: Um…. –slightly disturbed- Are…. are you okay sweetie?

Joh: Yeah I found a game I thought I lost!

Warnings: Yaoi, confusing plot

Notes: Sora has been in Riku's care for 3 weeks now

0o0o0o0o0

How many days had it been?

Sora groaned and slid off the chair to the floor. He was being kept hostage by a moody assassin and all he could think about was how bored he was! Sora was sure that there was something wrong with him. He should be crying or throwing things around…or something! He shouldn't feel comfortable enough to be bored.

But he couldn't help it. He had been stuck in this apartment for the past few weeks without anything to do but worry. "I want to go outside." Sora moaned, rolling over onto his back.

Riku had been out as much as possible and Sora had a feeling that the silver-haired assassin was avoiding him.

A soft sigh breezed past his lips. He was staring up at the crack in the ceiling, one he had come to memorize. It was small and barely noticeable, only hair thin. It looked kind of like a lightning bolt if Sora narrowed his eyes.

"What are you doing?"

Sora jumped and twisted his head around. Roxas stood in the doorway of the kitchen that led into the living room that Sora was lying in. He was frowning, a can of soda gripped in one hand.

The brunette stood up and scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. "I was just spacing out I guess."

"You must be sick of this place." Roxas commented, striding into the room and taking a seat on the couch. Sora hesitated before taking a seat next to him.

"I want to go home." Sora exhaled a long breath, slouching back into the leather couch.

Ever since Riku had started to avoid him Roxas had come to the apartment to watch over Sora in his place. The blonde had been a little stiff around him for the first few days but gradually had warmed up to Sora.

"Hey Roxas?"

"Yeah?"

Sora glanced over at him. "Can I go outside?"

"No." Roxas sighed and set his soda on the glass coffee table.

"What if I _promise _not to run away?" Sora drew his legs up against his chest and set his chin on his knees.

Roxas shook his head. "You can't set a foot outside of this building." He told him.

Sora glared at the blank television. "It's not fair. I don't even know why I'm here! What could your stupid organization want with _me_?" Sora had gone through all the possible reasons in his mind at least a hundred times. It wasn't for a ransom (his parents weren't that rich anyway), it wasn't because he was important or famous in any way (he was just an average kid), so what was it?

"Look, I don't know why the superior wants you around anymore than you do." Roxas paused, blue eyes narrowing as he considered something. "If you're that desperate to move around you could come to my place."

"I can?" Sora asked hopefully. As luxurious as Riku's apartment was, after 3 weeks it was beginning to feel no better than a moldy jail cell.

"Sure." Roxas got up and stretched his arms over his head. "My apartment is only a few floors down."

Sora wondered if he should take this opportunity to escape. But when he looked at Roxas (who it turned out was the same age as Sora) he found that he didn't want to do that to him. He knew he shouldn't but he couldn't help but feel sorry for Roxas. As silly as it sounded, Sora didn't want to cause Roxas any trouble. The poor boy had gone through a lot.

Quietly, Sora watched Roxas make his way out of the room to the kitchen. Roxas had been surrounded by death since he was a child and been forced to mature faster than he should have. Sora couldn't imagine what it would feel like to lose both of your parents and have no one to turn to.

_It would hurt. _Sora thought, a pang shooting through him as he tried to imagine himself in the young assassin's shoes. He felt himself cringe as he thought of the helpless despair he would feel if his parents were ever killed. Just thinking about it made his chest ache.

Roxas opened the front door and motioned for Sora to walk out ahead of him. Sora studied him before walking out. No, he wouldn't try anything. That wouldn't be fair to Roxas.

0o0

After what happened a few weeks before when he had ended up blurting out his life story to Sora, he was a bit edgy around the young brunette. He wasn't sure what it was about Sora that had made him talk about something he usually kept very secret. But it worried him. Roxas was well known in the organization for keeping quiet.

With the exception of Axel he very rarely shared his thoughts and _never _spoke about his past. It wasn't that he was shy (quite the opposite actually) he just didn't see the point in doing so.

So just what had possessed him to tell Sora about himself? He hardly, no scratch that, didn't even _know _Sora!

Either Roxas was losing his angsty teenage touch or there was something strange about Sora. Roxas liked to believe that it was the latter of the two.

After all, it didn't take much to see that Sora was weird. Seriously, what kind of kid in his situation could be so relaxed? It was unnatural, as far as Roxas was concerned. Unnatural.

He unlocked the door of his apartment and let Sora in, watching with a blank expression as Sora wandered inside and looked around.

His apartment was built in the same way as Riku's but thanks to all the clutter ended up looking a lot smaller. The kitchen table had books covering its shiny surface in towering stacks and clusters. A pile of dirty dishes lay in the sink as the faucet leaked and dripped.

Roxas shut the door behind him and made his way through the kitchen to the living room. He heard Sora follow him, his footsteps light and muffled by the carpeted floor.

"Do you live by yourself?" Sora asked suddenly, looking around the room curiously. A pale gray armchair and couch were settled in the center of the room facing a well-sized television. A ps2 was connected to it with a few game cases scattered on the floor around it.

Roxas took a seat on the couch and shrugged. "Axel comes here a lot." He said simply.

"So he lives with you?"

"Basically." Roxas sighed.

Sora took a seat on the floor so that he could inspect the games that Roxas owned. "I have a few of these. I didn't take you for a gamer though." He turned to smile slightly at him.

Again, Roxas shrugged. "I'm not. Axel buys the games not me."

"Oh. Cool."

An awkward silence fell over the two, causing Sora to squirm nervously. "So…"

"So?" Roxas raised a thin eyebrow and crossed his arms over his chest.

Sora scratched the back of his head as he thought of a topic to bring up. "How have… you uh been?"

"As okay as I'll ever be." Roxas grumbled.

Sora sat up straighter, eyes widening. "Well, what's bothering you?" he tilted his head to the side as he asked the question.

Roxas was struck once more by how strangely casual Sora seemed to be. He remembered how Sora had been in the first week he had arrived here. He had been scared, angry, and nervous, exactly how a hostage should act. Maybe he was just the type of person that could adjust easily to his surroundings, no matter how bizarre they may be.

When the blonde remained silent Sora reached up, hesitating only for a moment, to place his hand gently across Roxas's fist.

A sigh curled from the blonde's lips as he sank back into the couch. "You can't tell anyone this…"

Sora moved so that he was sitting on the couch next to Roxas. "I won't."

Why was he telling this to Sora again? But the words came out before he could stop himself. "I want to leave the organization."

The young brunette's eyes widened as his mouth gaped for words. The silence between them seemed to drag on as Roxas stared down at his sneakers to avoid the look Sora was giving him. He could hear the small silver clock on the bookcase ticking, the sound seeming to get louder with each passing second.

When it seemed like Sora wasn't going to say anything Roxas continued, a small frown fixed into his lips. "That doesn't mean I will or anything. I mean, if I left I would have no where to go and…" he broke off suddenly when the hand over his own tightened and a quiet gasp was heard. He looked up slowly, feeling numb and light as if he wasn't controlling his own movements.

Sora was crying.

His features were composed and with the exception of the small gasp earlier he was completely silent. Tears ran down his flushed cheeks as he stared at Roxas with an unreadable expression.

"Wha…what's wrong?" Roxas quickly ran over everything he had said to make sure he hadn't somehow said something that would have offended the boy. "Sorry?" he pulled back and patted Sora awkwardly on the shoulder, not too sure of what he should do or say.

But Sora was shaking his head and wiping at his blue eyes stubbornly. "No I'm sorry… I was just…" he stopped himself to take a deep breath. And then he smiled.

Roxas was positive that he had never before seen such a smile. It was a small smile but wide and full at the same time.

"You've been through a lot." Sora finally said.

It struck Roxas then. Sora wasn't crying because Roxas had hurt his feelings. He was crying _for _him.

How strange. How very strange.

Roxas stared at his pale hands before looking back up at Sora. It was odd, having someone who hardly knew you cry for you. It wasn't necessarily a bad feeling, just different. It was the kind of feeling Roxas would get when a complete stranger would show him a small kindness by offering him a spare umbrella in the rain. It was the feeling he had gotten when he was only a child and had met Axel. When he had been sitting curled up on a stoop when Axel walked over to him and offered him a home. It was the same feeling.

'Thank you' was all he could manage to say.

0o0

Only a few hours later the two boys found themselves sprawled across the floor playing a video game enthusiastically. If anyone had walked into the scene and not known any better they would have said they looked like any ordinary pair of friends just having a good time. Maybe they were friends now. Roxas cast a sidelong glance at Sora who was twisting and shaking the controller, eyes focused on the game at hand. It usually took Roxas awhile to warm up to someone, but Sora was special.

Roxas paused the game when he heard the apartment door slam open followed by the sound of someone cursing.

Axel strode into the room a moment later, followed by a young man Sora hadn't seen before. The stranger looked to be either in his late teens or early twenties, and he stood behind Axel with a goofy grin plastered across his face. His dark blonde hair was gelled up into a mull-hawk with a few long strands hanging loose. He had his hands shoved deep into his faded and ripped jeans that were being held around his hips by a shiny blue belt. His shirt hung off his thin frame and fell down to his knees, obviously several sizes too big for him. The strangest thing of all was the blue sitar that was slung over his shoulders and across his back (Roxas could see Sora openly gaping at it).

"Aw but Axel, I didn't _mean _to! It was an accident!" he protested, tugging on Axel's sleeve.

Axel growled at him before turning to Roxas and flinging himself at the small blonde. "Roxas! He broke it!" he whined, shaking Roxas back and forth.

Roxas scowled and slapped Axel away. "What did he break? And aren't you supposed to be on a mission?"

Axel stood up and collapsed on the couch, swinging his arms around dramatically as he described what happened. "We finished early and Demyx was driving us back in _my _car…"

"It was an accident!" Demyx interrupted, standing nervously by the end of the couch.

Axel carried on as if his co-worker hadn't spoken. "And he crashed it! C.R.A.S.H! As in total and absolute destruction!" Axel buried his face into his gloved hands.

"I thought you liked absolute destruction." Roxas said dryly, picking at his nails. Sora was still studying the sitar curiously.

"NOT if it involves my car!" Axel looked up to glare at Demyx who grinned sheepishly in response.

Roxas sighed and set the controller down so that he could turn his body to face the two older assassins. "Where did you crash the car Demyx?" he asked.

"Uh…a few blocks away I think."

"And…how did you crash it?"

Demyx shifted nervously, eyes flickering to the carpeted floor. "Well, we were listening to the radio and stuff and then this song I really like came on! So I got kinda excited and well…" he coughed and shrugged his shoulders. "One thing led to another…"

Roxas got up, running a hand through his blonde hair. "Guess we should go take a look at it."

"But what about…." Demyx glanced at Sora curiously.

"He could just stay here." Axel grumbled.

"He's not supposed to be left alone." They all exchanged glances, wondering what to do. Sora looked around, a little annoyed at being talked about as if he wasn't there.

"He could… come with us." Roxas said slowly, shrugging his shoulders.

Axel held up his hands and shook his head. "Nuh uh! Nope! Riku would kill _all _of us if we took him outside."

"Xemnas would get mad at us too." Demyx whispered, eyes widening at the thought.

"It'll only be for a little bit. And there's three of us and one of him. He won't be able to run away!" Roxas argued, narrowing his blue eyes stubbornly.

Axel sighed and reached out to ruffle Roxas's hair, drawing back quickly when the blonde snapped his teeth at him. "Fine, but if Riku starts pointing his gun around I'm putting all the blame on you."

Roxas rolled his eyes as he helped Sora to his feet. "I can handle Riku." He said off-handedly.

Sora stood up, eyes bright at the prospect of stepping outside. Axel stood over him and wagged a finger in his face. "Aright, kiddo. No funny business, got it?"

"Of course not!" Sora flushed, but stared back into Axel's eyes unflinching.

0o0

The elevator smelled like fish.

Sora wrinkled his nose as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other. Axel and Roxas stood on either side of him while Demyx bounced on his feet as he texted someone on his cell phone.

The small numbers above the doors lit up one by one as they descended. 5, 4, 3, 2…

Sora let out the breath he had been holding when a bell rung and the elevator doors slid open. Demyx hopped out, eyes still glued to his phone. Axel casually placed a hand on Sora's shoulder to steer him out of the elevator into the lobby.

Sora looked around, memorizing everything. The lobby was far from what he had expected. In fact, it didn't even look like an apartment lobby. It was vast and cold and elegant.

The sunlight streaming in from the long windows made the marble floors and white walls glow. The only piece of furniture in the lobby was a simple, tall gray desk where a bored looking man sat drumming his fingers.

"Hey Xigbar, is there your new job or something?" Axel cackled, smirking at the man as they approached him.

The man looked up and scowled. Sora shrank back. The man, Xigbar, was _freaky_ looking. He had a black eye-patch covering one eye while the other was narrow and black. "The guy who normally does this was like not here." He drawled. He sighed then raised an eyebrow when he saw Sora. "What's with the little dude? Are you like, letting him escape?"

Axel shrugged while Demyx beamed and Roxas glared. "We're just going outside to--"

"Outside?"

"Oh! Riku! You're back!" Axel laughed nervously, pushing off from the desk to greet his friend. Riku was just stepping into the lobby, his face half hidden in the shadows his hood cast over his face. Axel reached up to slap a hand against Riku's back, but froze when the silver-haired assassin glowered at him.

"He's not allowed to go outside!" Riku pushed back the hood of his coat and stalked forward to grab Sora. "I told you that!" he growled, snatching Sora's arm and pulling him away from the doorway.

Roxas frowned and grabbed the brunette's other arm, glaring just as viciously as Riku was. "He'll be fine with us."

Sora looked between he two of them, wondering if there was any possible way he could get away. The door, his freedom, was so close! It was only a few feet away…

Riku tugged on his arm, pulling him away from his thoughts. "Let go of him, Roxas_._" He bit out the other boy's name.

The blonde opened his mouth to argue but Riku quickly cut him off. "He's under _my _care, not yours. Now let go."

Roxas tightened his grip on Sora's arm and ground his teeth, like he was restraining himself from saying something. Finally he released Sora and turned away angrily.

"Let's go." He grumbled to Axel and Demyx, already opening the doors. They cast one last glance at Sora and Riku before following Roxas outside.

Sora sighed, disappointment flooding through him as he was led back to the elevators. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Xigbar watching them with interest. Obviously this scene had been the most exciting thing that had happened all day for him.

Riku had an arm casually wrapped around his shoulders, keeping close as if Sora might suddenly bolt. He had, in fact, considered trying to run for it. But he knew he was no match for Riku's speed and that it would be pointless and would only frustrate him if he tried.

He was back in the elevators and again he thought to himself that it smelled like fish.

0o0o0o0o0

Joh: Yay! Roxas and Sora are friends now!

Jessie: -Throws confetti-

Joh: And the other good news is that my Sora cosplay is nearly finished! Now I just need to make the Riku pants for my dearly beloved.

Jessie: You… can sew? -confused and shocked-

Joh: Not really, I made a pillow once though! (kinda)

Jessie: Well, good luck with that…

Joh: Oh and I'm sorry to all the readers that this chapter wasn't very good. Riku was hardly in it and it all seemed rushed to me. So I'm sorry about that.


	7. Chapter 7

Killing Time

Disclaimer: I really hate these things but when I don't do them the chapter somehow seems incomplete…

Jessie: Maybe because you're so used to them?

Joh: Maybe.

Jessie: Is Demyx going to be in this chapter? -Looks hopeful-

Joh: Maaaybe. Oh, yeah! I'm trying to get published kinda in this little magazine thing… so check it out?

www. teenink. com/ raw/ Fiction/ article/ 47094/ Penny/

Just take out the spaces! It would mean a lot if you would read it and rate it if you like it.

Jessie: lol Shameless advertising.

Joh: Hell yeah.

Warnings: Yaoi, confusing stuff, lime

0o0o00o00

Sora wasn't sure how this routine had come about, but it had. Every night Riku would stay up late watching the news or reading a book and Sora would fall asleep in his bed. At first Sora was hesitant to do so but Riku was often occupying the couch when he was watching T.V and there was really nowhere else to sleep. Plus, Riku never once stopped Sora from sleeping in his bed, nor did he even comment on it. Eventually it just became a habit for Sora to crawl into his bed and sleep.

And somehow it became a habit for Riku to join him.

He didn't know exactly how many weeks it had been since he was kidnapped, but he guessed that it must have been a long time if he was getting adjusted to living with Riku. Despite the fact that Riku avoided talking to him and spent most of the days ignoring him, Sora was learning a lot about the silver-haired man.

For example: Riku would always flip his pillow over to the other side before he fell asleep. He also hated having crumbs on the table and would constantly be wiping the surface. He drank his coffee straight (no milk or sugar), and he brushed his teeth after every meal.

They were all little things, but they made Riku seem more human and less scary to be around. Noticing these minor habits of his Sora was able to relax a bit more around him, which was definitely a good thing since they were living together.

It was during one of Sora's normal routines (eating dinner before heading off to the shower then bed) when something on the news caught his eye.

Riku was sprawled across the couch, a folder and a few papers lying in his lap. He was only listening to the news for most of his attention was on the book he was reading.

"—been missing for nearly a month now. Police are looking everywhere but there seems to be no trace of the missing boy."

Sora stopped halfway across the room to gape at the television, blue eyes widening. A picture of him filled the screen and Sora recognized it as his old school ID photo. "Hey! That's me!" he announced, stepping closer.

Riku looked up, a small frown on his face. He set down his book and turned up the volume.

"Some are speculating that young Sora Hikari might be dead but we cannot say for sure until a body is found. For now--"

Sora paled. "They think I might be _dead_?"

Riku turned off the T.V and sat up. "Well, you have been missing for a while with no trace or hint to where you might be."

Sora stared at the now blank television screen, processing this information. "Then I might never be rescued…" he trailed off.

"Don't tell me you were still thinking about that?"

The brunette's blue eyes narrowed as he shifted his gaze to Riku, "Of course! You think that--" he was cut off, however, when the front door squeaked open and both of them looked up to see who it was.

Roxas appeared a moment later in the kitchen doorway carrying two plastic bags. He grinned at Sora before turning his attention to Riku and scowling. "Riku." He nodded curtly, posture stiff.

"Roxas." Riku nodded back, mirroring the blonde's glare.

They were both silent for a moment as they regarded each other, as if they were trying to decide if it was a time to fight or not. Sora shifted uneasily, he could practically feel the negative energy the two assassin's were creating.

Apparently it wasn't the right place to fight, for Roxas then turned to Sora with a bright smile as he held up the two bags he was holding. "I bought ice cream." He informed him, ignoring the sour look Riku shot at him.

Sora perked up. "Ice cream?" he repeated hopefully. Riku didn't like sweets so he never bought deserts, something Sora definitely missed.

"Yeah I bought my favorite. Sea salt ice cream, classic."

Riku draped an arm over the back of the couch and tilted his head to glower at him. "I never said you could bring that junk into my apartment."

Sora swore he saw Roxas's eye twitch before the young blonde closed his eyes and took a deep, calming breath. "Fine then, _Riku_. We'll eat it in the hallway." He spoke through his teeth, grabbing Sora's hand and leading him out of the living room.

Riku looked like he was about to protest but Roxas didn't give him time to. He hurried Sora through the kitchen and out into the hall. "Bastard." He growled after he had shut the door.

"You and Riku don't get along, huh?" Sora commented as Roxas reached into the bag to pull out a box of popsicles.

Roxas handed one to Sora before he started to unwrap his own. "Hm, how could you tell?" he asked, rolling his eyes. He sighed and slid down to the carpeted floor, leaning back against the wall. Sora mimicked him and folded his legs, unwrapping his popsicle happily.

"Why do you guys, uh, dislike each other so much?" Sora asked as he took an experimental lick of the blue popsicle. Sora licked his lips thoughtfully. It was sweet but salty and juicy at the same time. "This is good!" he exclaimed, popping it into his mouth.

Roxas smiled but then shrugged when he answered Sora's question. "Riku hated me ever since I was recruited and I've hated him because he's always been such a jerk." Roxas took a small bite out of the blue treat. "Axel says he hates me because I'm the only other person in the Organization who uses pistols. So I'm like his rival." He smirked.

"You have a gun?" Sora asked, eyes wide. He couldn't imagine Roxas holding a gun. He was only sixteen, after all!

Roxas nodded. "Two, in fact."

"Two!" Sora gaped, nearly dropping the popsicle in surprise. "How does that work?"

"I have one in each hand." Roxas slurped the ice cream with a smug expression. "That's why Riku hates me. He only uses one and everyone knows that two is better."

The two boys went quiet for a few minutes as they ate their popsicles. Sora was trying to envision Roxas on a mission, both hands carrying a deadly gun. It was a strange image to imagine, especially with Roxas sitting right next to him looking so peaceful.

"He has been more of an asshole lately though." Roxas said suddenly, lips pursing.

"Huh?"

Roxas glanced at Sora. "Riku, I mean. He's always a jerk but he seems even more jerk-ish as of late. Doesn't he?"

Sora finished off the blue treat, smacking his lips in a satisfied way. "I wouldn't know." He answered flatly.

"Oh, right." Roxas chewed on the stick of the popsicle absently. "I bet it's because of his assignment."

"You mean that girl?" Sora asked curiously.

Roxas looked at him, surprised. "How'd you know?"

Sora fiddled with the sticky stick left over, twirling it through the air like a wand. "When I first got here I saw a picture of her on the table." Sora said quietly, remembering how angry he had been (still was, actually) when Riku told him he was going to have to kill her.

The blonde boy nodded slowly. "Yeah. Riku usually finishes all his missions quickly. This is the first time anything's taken him so long."

Sora went still for a moment. "You mean he hasn't… killed her yet?"

He shook his head. "Exactly. That's probably what's been making him so pissy."

They both looked up as the elevators a few doors down chimed and slid open. Axel stepped out of the compartment, dressed in a black coat identical to Riku's. He turned and blinked upon seeing the two of them sitting there, eyebrows arching in surprise. He stalked over to them, his boots clunking loudly on the floor. "What are you kids doing out here?" he smirked as he stopped in front of Roxas and set his hands on his hips.

Roxas looked up at him and shrugged. "Eating ice cream."

"Ice cream?" Axel repeated, brow furrowing for a moment before he gasped. "Sea salt ice cream? And you didn't save me a piece?" he asked with an expression of horror.

Roxas shook his head smugly.

The redhead sank to his knees and grabbed Roxas's shoulders. "But you _always _share your ice cream with me." He whined.

Sora watched with wide eyes as Roxas peeled Axel's hands off of him. "Too bad." Roxas rolled his shoulders casually.

"You should be nicer to me, Roxy. Not only do I outrank you, but I'm also the one who recruited you." Axel slung an arm around Roxas's shoulder and tapped his nose playfully.

"Recruited?" Sora tilted his head to the side curiously. "Is everyone recruited?"

Roxas pulled out of Axe's grasp before he turned to Sora, his cheeks flushed slightly. "Yeah, basically."

Axel took a seat beside Roxas, leaning back on Riku's front door. "Only Namine and Riku weren't." he added on.

Sora was going to ask who Namine was but his desire to learn more about his captor won over his curiosity for the unknown name mentioned. "Then how did Riku end up here?" he asked eagerly, leaning across Roxas towards Axel.

"I dunno too much since Namine is pretty good at keeping all our true identities secret. But I'm pretty sure that Riku asked to join himself."

Roxas elbowed him sharply. "You shouldn't tell Sora things that probably aren't true."

Axel winced but grinned widely. "It is though! I'm _seriously _90 percent sure." He waved a hand through the air for emphasis. "I mean, that would explain why Riku was able to rename himself."

Roxas scowled at his boyfriend and Sora frowned in bewilderment. "Riku isn't his real name…?" he asked doubtfully. "I don't understand…"

Abruptly the door flew open, knocking Axel aside. Riku poked his head out, looking disgruntled. "What's going on?"

Axel rubbed the back of his head where the door had hit him before looking up at his friend and waving. "We're having a hall party, Riku!"

Riku stared at him, frowning slightly. He apparently had no words for Axel since he then turned to Sora. "Get back in" he ordered, before withdrawing back into the apartment.

Sora sighed and stood up reluctantly. He liked being with Roxas. It made him sometimes forget his situation. "Thanks for the ice cream." he managed to say before Riku slammed the door shut.

0o0

Axel didn't like books. They smelled funny; they gave him paper cuts as well as headaches, and they were just plain boring.

That's why he hated being in number six's room.

"Yeah sure, take your time. Not like I'm doing anything today." Axel sad loudly, squinting his green eyes through the dimly lit room. "Hello? Zexion, you there?"

Zexion sighed in response, not turning around to face the redhead. His eyes were focused on the computer before him, the screen illuminating his pale face. "What?" he asked after a long moment, not taking his eyes off the screen.

"Information." Axel replied, relieved that the silver-haired man was finally addressing him. He had been waiting for _hours_. That was another thing Axel hated, right after books, waiting.

Zexion turned around for the first time; the one eye that wasn't hidden by his long bangs was narrowed at him. "Not my job." Zexion barely spoke and when he had to he liked to keep it short and to the point.

Axel rubbed the bridge of his nose and shrugged. "I already went to Namine and she wouldn't tell me a thing."

The slightly shorter man was silent for a moment. "Who is it?" he asked suddenly, turning back to the computer.

"Huh?"

"Who is it you want to know about?" Zexion sounded irritated.

Axel grinned and leaned back in his seat, hands folded behind his head. "Sora Hikari."

Zexion glanced at him, eyebrow raised. "Isn't he Riku's…?"

"Yeah. I want to know why he's so important. Get me everything you can find about him."

"What will I get in return?"

Axel's grin morphed into a knowing smirk. He leaned forward, dropping his voice to a whisper. "Do this little favor for me and I won't blab to anyone about your little… crush."

The pale man scowled. "I don't know what you're talking about." He muttered, flushing slightly.

Axel yawned and stood up, stretching his long arms over his head. "Yeah, yeah. I bet you don't. Just try and figure out everything there is to know about this kid. Thanks, man." He punched him playfully in the arm before moving to the door, leaving the bookworm grumbling about insensitive redheads.

0o0

Riku bowed his head, glaring out the window at the distant city lights. He had his hand fisted around a can of beer, rising it every now and then to his lips to take deep sips. He had been sitting at the kitchen table, watching as the evening late slowly dimmed until only the weak light from the moon illuminated the room around him.

His silvery hair fell forward into his face, shadowing his eyes. He sighed and tilted his head back to sweep his bangs away before chugging the last of the drink.

Another day had passed and he still hadn't completed his mission.

He dragged his target's file over to him and studied it, trying to figure out why he was having so much trouble. The small picture of her revealed a pretty, but otherwise ordinary young woman. She was nineteen years old and from what his sources told him she had no fighting experience herself. However, her father had hired two well-trained bodyguards, one of whom Riku was familiar with.

Regardless, Riku shouldn't have had any problem with guards, no matter how tough they were.

Riku knocked the empty can away from him before getting up to retrieve a new one from the fridge. As he opened the refrigerator he looked up suddenly, a frown creasing his lips.

Sora stood by the doorway; his brows draw together as he surveyed the mess of empty beer cans. "What's going on?" he asked slowly. His spiked hair was limp and dripping slightly, indicating that he had just taken a shower.

Riku shut the fridge door, tilting his head slightly and scowling. His eyes traveled from the boy's wet hair down to his bare chest and skinny arms.

"Are you okay?" Blue eyes widened as Sora took a timid step into the room. He hesitated before reaching out to place a small hand over Riku's shoulder. But Riku caught his wrist in his hand before Sora could touch him.

Sora froze, body tensing at the tight grip Riku was holding him in. He jerked his hand and stepped back. Riku tightened his fist around him, eyes narrowing when the boy winced. "Let go!" Sora bit out, tugging at his arm now.

The silver-haired assassin ground his teeth together. He grabbed Sora by the shoulder and shoved him face first against the wall, the weak light from the fridge casting a yellow sheen over both their faces.

Sora squirmed, kicking his legs and flailing his free arm. Riku quickly pressed himself flush against the younger boy, pinning his legs and stopping his movements. He could feel Sora twitching against him as he struggled to throw off his weight. Sora turned his head to the side to stare at Riku through one blue orb.

Again, Riku felt a surge of anger. He found himself hating those eyes. "Stop looking at me like that." Riku breathed heavily against Sora's neck, his voice deep.

"You're drunk." Sora pointed out, his body going limp. His voice was calm suddenly, all the fear that had been there earlier gone. His expression turned to one of understanding as he spoke.

It pissed Riku off.

How dare he look down at him! Riku fisted his other hand into Sora's hair, grabbing a handful of the wet strands and jerking. Sora flinched but gave no other reaction. He simply stared at him, waiting for Riku to let him go.

Riku wanted to wipe that calm look off his face. He pulled Sora's head back and buried his face in the boy's neck, nipping at the soft skin there. He could feel Sora shudder and twist his head to move away from his lips. But Sora had very little room to move as Riku pressed even tighter against him, grinding his body harshly against the wall.

'Not so smug now.' Riku thought, as he released Sora's hand to trail his fingers down his captive's side. Sora's skin was so smooth under his hands, still slightly slick from the shower. He sucked roughly on the brunette's shoulder as he felt the heat from his anger flood over him and become something else. In the back of his mind Riku was assuring himself that it was merely all the drinks he had that was creating the lust, but at the moment Riku didn't really care if it was because he was drunk or not. The boy's body felt good against him and that was that.

Riku's hand squeezed between Sora and the wall to tug at his boxers. Sora pushed against the wall in one last attempt to throw Riku off of him before sagging against him. He lightly placed his hand over Riku's wrist, barely touching him, when he spoke.

"Is this what you _really _want to do?" he said the words quietly but they cut through Riku as if they had been shouted. The all-consuming anger he had been feeling faded, leaving him feeling hollow and shocked. Slowly he pulled away from Sora, his movements sluggish and heavy.

Sora sank to the floor, one arm wrapped tightly around him to stop himself from trembling while the other was leaning against the ground for support.

Riku stared down at him. Horror was spreading through him, numbing his body as he continued to stare down at the boy. Without a word he turned and fled, banging the apartment door shut as he escaped into the brightly lit hallway.

0o0o0o0o0

Joh: Don't worry, Riku feels bad.

Jessie: Of course he does!

Joh: Things will smooth out eventually, so don't think there isn't going to be a relationship between Sora and Riku of any sort. Or other people…

Jessie: -Waving Zemyx flag-

Joh: Yep. Review please!


	8. Chapter 8

Killing Time

Disclaimer: I will never own it. I don't think I want to, honestly. Too much work, you know?

Jessie: You would day that, wouldn't you?

Joh: That's why I said it. Anyway, I'm surprised. My other Kingdom Hearts fanfiction (Wish) actually got more reviews this time than Killing Time! That's a first! I'm betting it's because of the kissing scene.

Jessie: Or because you mentioned the word rape in your notes.

Joh: Maybe.

Warnings: Yaoi, language

0o0o0o000o0

"Sora? Sora, are you okay?"

The brunet groaned as his eyes fluttered open. Roxas was staring down at him, concern pressed into his frown. Sora sat up quikly, ignoring the ache in his joints as he looked around. He was on Riku's couch in the living room. He ran a hand through his hair, eyes squinting. He didn't remember falling asleep there. But then, Sora didn't remember much from last night after Riku had attacked him, anyway.

"Uh, yeah. I'm fine." He turned to Roxas and forced a smile.

Roxas crossed his arms and sat down on the arm of the couch. "Look, I know that asshole did something. Just tell me what and I'll straighten him out."

Sora flinched and shook his head. "Thanks but it's nothing to worry about. Where is he?"

The blonde studied him for a moment before answering. "He's with Axel right now."

Sora fell back with a sigh of relief. He wasn't sure he could face Riku so soon. He closed his eyes and listened to the rustle of cloth as Roxas slid off the couch and padded out of the room into the kitchen. He heard cabinets being opened and slammed along with the clatter of plates before Roxas reentered the room, bringing the sweet aroma of food with him.

As Sora sat up eagerly Roxas spoke. "If you don't tell me what Riku did I'll just force it out of him anyway. And 'd rather hear it from you." He handed a plate of toast and fruit to Sora and stepped back expectantly.

Sora stared down at the dish, biting his lip. He picked up a strawberry and nibbled on it, not wanting to look up at Roxas. "He was drunk… so it's not really his fault." Vaguely Sora wondered why he was defending him.

Roxas narrowed his eyes, his frown turning into a scowl. "Go on."

Sora swallowed nervously. "He just kind of…" he trailed off and glanced at Roxas.

The blonde didn't seem to be listening to him anymore; his eyes were focused on Sora's bare shoulders.

"What is _that_?" Roxas pointed and Sora hastily brought a hand up to cover the small red mark that Riku had made the night before. Before Sora could reply understanding flowed across Roxas's face before morphing into anger.

"That bastard! I can't believe he would… he would…" the young assassin spluttered, face reddening with rage. Unable to say anymore, he turned and stormed towards the door.

Sora scrambled to his feet, knocking the breakfast plate over. "Wait! Where are you going?"

Roxas threw the front door open. "To Riku." He growled without slowing his pace.

Sora hesitated before running after him. "Stop, Roxas! What are you going to say to him?" he called, all thoughts of possible escape gone as raced after the young blonde.

Roxas slammed his fist against the elevator button before turning away impatiently and tearing open the door to the stair well. Roxas didn't answer his question but Sora was sure that he heard him mumble something about how he didn't have time to get his guns. Sora finally caught up to him after jumping a few steps. He tugged on Roxas's sleeve desperately.

"Please? He didn't really do anything and he didn't mean to!" Sora insisted breathlessly.

Roxas brushed his hand away, rolling his eyes. "Oh, yeah. I'm _sure _he didn't _mean _to." He shook his head. "That fucking pervert." He growled under his breath, flying down the stairs so fast Sora was having trouble keeping up.

After what seemed forever, Roxas finally halted in front of a door. Sora stood by his side, bent over as he tried to regain his breath. Who ever heard of getting winded running _down _the stairs? Sora ran a hand through his messy hair, reminding himself to work out more.

Roxas took in a deep breath before opening the heavy door and stepping into the hallway. Sora scrambled after him, nearly tripping as moved to keep up. He followed silently after Roxas, having given up on talking him out of it.

The blonde assassin moved determinedly down the hallway, his blue gaze sweeping the doors. He stopped in front of one and banged his curled fist against the door, making it rattle in its frame.

Sora winced before checking the room number. Eighty-eight. That must be Axel's room.

After a moment the door swung open, Axel standing there beaming. "Roxas! I knew it was you." He winked. "I can always tell from the way you, uh, knock."

Roxas scowled and shoved him aside as he stormed into the apartment. Axel shrugged, unconcerned before he glanced at Sora. "What are you doing? Get in here, man."

Sora entered the apartment slowly, looking for Roxas anxiously. "Um…" he turned to glance at Axel who was leaning against the wall, looking bored.

The redhead rolled his shoulders before brushing past him to the closet and pulling out a black coat. "I had already guessed that Roxas was going to be thundering his way in sooner or later today. So have fun. Stay out of trouble and don't do drugs." He yanked the coat on before slipping on his gloves.

"Where are you going?" Sora asked, distressed at the thought of being left alone with Riku and Roxas fighting.

"I've got a mission." He chuckled before giving Sora a mocking salute and sauntering his way out the door and out of the apartment.

Sora stared at the space the tall man had been occupying before turning his head slowly towards the source of noise coming from the next room. Well, it didn't sound like they were yelling yet. Sora used that thought to give him confidence as he crept into the next room.

Riku was sitting upright on a worn out looking couch, looking like he wanted to choke someone. A blanket was spread out over his legs and Sora assumed that Riku had slept there.

His silver hair was, for once, a mess. Riku's marble green eyes were red and circled, his skin seeming even paler than usual. He had a hand pressed to his temple, rubbing the skin there like he had a horrible headache.

"Would you seriously get the hell out of here?" he snapped. "Your voice is annoying."

Roxas was standing over him, his face flushed. "_Excuse me? _Are you even aware of what you did? Or were you too fucking drunk to remember?" Roxas hissed.

Riku sucked his teeth, his whole body going rigid. "What do you care what happened?" he asked after a minute.

Roxas took a step forward and grabbed the silver-haired man by the collar. "Because I'm his friend." Roxas snarled.

Riku sneered. "His friend? You've got to be joking, kid. He's a _hostage, _not a freaking guest."

"Yeah, and since when was it okay to force yourself on hostages?" Roxas bit back, teeth grinding together. "I didn't think even you could sink that low."

Riku reached up, grabbing a fistful of Roxas's shirt to jerk him closer so that their faces were only inches apart. "He's my assignment. I can do whatever I want with--" Riku never got to finished the sentence as a small fist was sent into his face, cutting him off.

His grip on Roxas's top loosened and the blonde pulled back, scowling. "Say that again and I'll hit you even harder." He warned.

Sora hurried forward and grabbed Roxas's arm, pulling him back. "Stop, Roxas!" He turned to stare at Riku with big, round eyes.

Riku was rubbing his swollen cheek, a thin trickle of blood leaking down his chin from a split lip. He was glaring down at the blanket covering him, taking in deep steady breathes. Slowly, he got to his feet, letting the sheet slip away to the floor.

The two assassins eyed one another coldly, both probably wishing they had their guns with them. Sora looked between them fearfully before stepping in between them. "There's no need to fight, _really_."

"Stay out of it, Sora." Riku growled, not taking his eyes off of Roxas.

Sora opened his mouth to protest some more but found himself being pushed to the side as the assassins advanced on each other.

0o0

Axel flicked his lighter open and held it up to the cigarette hanging from his lips. He took in a deep breath before slowly blowing out a bubble of smoke. "What do you mean?" his green eyes flickered up to the pale man sitting across from him.

Zexion coughed and waved a hand. "He seems to be an average teenager in almost every aspect." He shrugged, shuffling a few papers and stacking them neatly on the table.

"Almost? There has to be something." Axel insisted, pulling the cigarette away from his mouth and leaning forward across the table. "Maybe you aren't looking hard enough."

The smaller man glared. "Maybe _you _should look for yourself then." he sniffed, folding his arms.

"Yeah, yeah. Just tell me what you did find out."

Zexion leaned back in his chair, shifting into a more comfortable position. "Sora Hikari is sixteen years old. He turns seventeen in July. He has no siblings and his parents are middle-class. He is blood type O. He has decent grades in school but nothing outstanding." he listed them off on his fingers.

Axel raised an eyebrow. "That's it?"

The silver-haired man frowned then, settling his arms over the table. "Well, there _was _something else… I don't know how it's related to him but…" he trailed off, his visible eye narrowing.

Axel blinked then grinned eagerly as he tapped the cigarette ashes onto the floor. "What? What is it?"

Zexion shook his head slowly. "That's the thing, I do not quite… understand it."

"Understand _what?_" Axel growled in frustration, resting his chin in his hand.

"I don't know." Zexion frowned. It wasn't often that you heard the young hacker admit that. Zexion _always _knew the answers. "I don't know how important it is but I'll look into it more."

Axel took one final drag before rubbing the cigarette out on the table. "At least give me the name of whatever it is that confuses you."

Zexion studied him silently before lacing his fingers together and pursing his lips.

"_dolci mani._"

0o0

Sora stared at the scene before him with wide, shocked eyes. Riku and Roxas were both rubbing their head where there was probably a decently sized lump. Demyx stood between them, his blue sitar held threateningly in his hands.

"You guys are lucky I got here before you could start a fight." Demyx bobbed his head, setting one hand on his hip while balancing his instrument against his shoulder. "You would have scarred poor Sora over here for life." He nodded towards the small brunette.

Riku glared murderously. "I had a fucking hang over and you just hit me over the head with your _guitar_." He stated slowly, growling through his clenched teeth.

Demyx blinked. "Actually it's a sitar, but yeah, that pretty much sums up what I did. Oh! But you forgot the part when I, like, spun around and stuff!" he smiled serenely. "That was the best part."

Riku stared at him, looking torn between killing the happy blonde on the spot or nursing his throbbing head. After a moment of debating he sighed and sat down heavily on the couch, setting his head in his hands. "Fuck." He groaned.

Roxas sneered, looking like he was ready to make a snarky comment, but stopped himself when Demyx tapped his sitar pointedly. "I think we should go, Roxas. You have a mission today." Demyx announced suddenly, slinging the instrument back over his shoulders.

"Fine. Let's go, Sora." He turned away from Riku with one final glare and headed towards the door.

Sora started to trail slowly after him, a little relieved that he could escape Riku's presence. But a firm hand set on his shoulder, stopping him. Demyx smiled apologetically at him. "Sorry, but you've got to stay here with Mr. Grumpy." He nodded at Riku who looked up and scowled.

"I do hope that you weren't referring to me." Riku grumbled, leaning back into the cousins and running a hand through his messy hair.

Roxas spun around, eyes blazing. "You _cannot _be serious."

Demyx withdrew his hand and slid it into his pocket. "Well, I was kinda trying to be serious that time." He grinned and fiddled with the sitar strap.

"No, I mean you can't actually want Sora to stay here with fucking _Riku _of all people!" Roxas spat, pointing an accusing finger at the silver-haired man.

"Why not? Sora is under his charge after all. He's supposed to be with Riku at all times… well most of the time."

"He tried to freaking ra-"

Sora quickly cut him off, taking a step back towards Riku as he did so. "It's fine, Roxas." He walked over to the couch and carefully took a seat next to Riku. "See?" he looked up and forced a smile, hoping that it looked reassuring. He didn't want any more people to know about what happened between Riku and him.

Roxas nodded slowly but looked unhappy about it as Demyx hooked arms with him and led him out of Axel's apartment.

Riku waited until they heard the door slam shut to speak. He tilted his head slightly, not looking directly at Sora as he squinted his eyes through the long curtain of silver bangs. "What is your problem?"

Sora jumped, scooting away from the assassin a bit. "What?"

This time Riku did really look at him. He turned so that both his eyes locked with Sora's frightened blue. He stared for a long moment before sighing and turning his gaze away. "Forget it. I need some Advil or something." He muttered, standing up slowly.

Sora watched him disappear into the next room and let out a heavy breath. It felt weird being near Riku after last night. Even though he knew that Riku had been drunk and everything that happened was, as he had said before, a mistake, he couldn't forget it easily. He couldn't forget the angry lust clouding the green of Riku's eyes. He couldn't forget the hot, wet feeling of Riku trailing open-mouthed kisses down his neck and shoulders, or how his shaking fingers had slid over his skin, rough and searching.

It was like the memory of the night before was branded into his mind and Sora wanted nothing more then to bury it and pretend that the incident had never happened.

The brunet blinked as he was jerked out of his thoughts when a shirt was thrown at him. Riku was standing in the doorway, emptying a small paper cup of water. He crumpled it and tossed it carelessly on the ground before dragging his feet over to the couch and dropping himself down. He pressed a hand over his eyes, a small frown in place.

"What's this?" Sora asked, holding the shirt out in front of him to study it. It was a long, red shirt with a small logo of a dragon in the center.

"It's one of Axel's shirts. He won't mind if you borrow it." Riku paused, lifting his hand to sweep his eyes down Sora's body. "You need it anyway."

Sora flushed and looked away. He had been so worried about what Roxas was gong to do that he had run out of the apartment without a shirt on. Feeling suddenly self-conscious Sora turned slightly so that he was facing away from Riku as he pulled the shirt on, the faint smell of smoke enveloping him.

After a moment, Sora turned back to glance at Riku. The pale-haired man had his head tilted back, eyes shut and lips parted slightly. Was he asleep?

Sora looked around uneasily, trying to be as quiet as possible. He didn't want to wake Riku up when Riku was hung over like this.

Axel's living room was a mess, Sora noticed as he glanced about. There were random DVD cases strewn about on the floor by the T.V, some open others not. A few empty beer bottles and soda cans littered the scruffy looking coffee table along with a stale smelling bag of McDonalds. A dartboard was hung up on one wall, some of the darts embedded into the wall around it.

"I don't usually drink." Riku said suddenly, making Sora jolt in surprise. So he hadn't been sleeping.

Sora said nothing, not sure of what to say.

Riku continued, "That was just… a one time thing." He paused, not opening his eyes. "I'm not going to again."

Sora smiled now, some of the tension leaving his body. "That's good."

"Yeah."

0o0o0o0o0

Joh: Yeah that's all I can write. I'm tired.

Jessie: Then you should sleep maybe? For once?

Joh: Well guys, review please… oh by the way… I just lost the game.

Jessie: Nooooo!


	9. Chapter 9

Killing Time

Disclaimer: Never own. Ever.

Jessie: As time goes by I swear your disclaimers get more and more… to the point?

Joh: I was thinking something like my disclaimers are sounding more like fail but okay.

Jessie: You seem to be in a good mood today.

Joh: I'm watching Chitty Chitty Bang Bang right now. It makes me feel youthful again.

Jessie: Should I ask?

Joh: My cable isn't working.

Jessie: I see.

Warnings: Yaoi, language, violence

0o0o0o0o0

The smell of blood seemed to paint the very air, filling the street with a harsh metallic scent. The streetlights gleamed dimly, illuminating the dark scarlet puddles seeping across the pavement.

Riku stood over the corpse of the man he had shot, his silver gun grasped tightly in his hand. He stared down at the body with his impassive green eyes hidden behind blue tinted sunglasses.

At the sound of footsteps he tensed his shoulders and spun around, whipping his arm out and pulling the trigger of his gun without hesitation. The bang of the gunshot broke through the silence of the night, echoing off the shadowed trees. The woman approaching him barely had time to scream before the bullet buried itself into her throat.

With a strangled gasp she fell, her body making a dull impact against the asphalt.

Riku took a small step forward to look down at her, his lips forming a thin frown. Her lifeless brown eyes stared straight up ahead into the sky, lifelessly reflecting the shimmering stars. He stood there for a few minutes before crouching down and gently pressing her eyelids down so that if you ignored the bloody wound in her neck it would appear that she was simply sleeping.

With that last gesture he left the scene, slipping back into the shadows.

0o0

"Axel…knock it off…this…"

"Aw, Roxas, _come on_." The redhead pleaded, nuzzling his face into his lover's neck. Roxas shivered as he felt Axel press light kisses to his ear, nipping the lobe affectionately.

Axel pressed Roxas tighter to him, propping him up against the counter as he pulled the younger boy's legs around his waist.

The two groaned softly in unison, as their bodies were pressed tighter against each other. Roxas wrapped his arms around Axel's neck, despite his previous protesting, and pulled the redhead in for a deep kiss. Axel sighed against his lips, slipping a hand up Roxas' shirt to graze over his smooth skin.

Roxas pulled back to fist a hand into Axel's hair and pull roughly to tilt his boyfriend's head back. He kissed and teased Axel's exposes throat, sucking softly until the skin grew red.

"Ah…Roxas…" Axel hissed as his green eyes fluttered. He drifted his hand down the blonde's stomach to toy with the button of his jeans. Just as he started to unzip his pants the apartment door slammed open, jerking the two lovers out of their moment.

Sora stumbled to the kitchen doorway then froze, his blue eyes widening as he took in their position and the flushed expressions they were both wearing.

Roxas started to hastily untangle himself from Axel who was (to Roxas' annoyance) not doing anything to move out of their suggestive position.

"I'm so sorry!" Sora gasped, blushing and bowing his head before ducking out of the kitchen back into the small hallway.

"No, wait! Sora!" Roxas called desperately but was too late as he heard the front door slam.

"Well, that was fun." Axel snickered, moving in for another kiss.

Roxas pushed him away, scowling. "We probably scarred him, Axel! _Scarred him!_" Roxas shook his head and swept a hand through his hair. "I should go get him. I wonder what he wanted anyway." Roxas made to leave but Axel quickly grabbed him.

"You can figure that out _later_. And I'm betting it's nothing big. The kid was probably just bored being cooped up here with nothing to do and wanted a play date with you." He nibbled happily on the end of Roxas' ear, enjoying the shiver it caused. "Unfortunately you're busy today."

"But Sora…"

"Can wait." Axel smirked and pressed his lips against the blonde's, silencing any protests he still had.

0o0

Sora wandered his way back up to Riku's apartment, still blushing furiously from what he had seen in Roxas' apartment. He had gone down there hoping to watch T.V with Roxas and spend the rest of the day doing just that, but he guessed that was no longer an option.

He sighed, dragging his feet down the carpeted hallway. Riku was out on a mission, and although he didn't really get along with Riku he was still company of some sort, and company was exactly what Sora was in need of.

Briefly, Sora had considered going down to the lobby and attempting an escape. But then he remembered the scary man with the eye-patch and scars that had been stationed in the lobby behind the desk. The man had known who he was and would surely recognize and stop him if he tried to leave.

After several minutes Sora returned to Riku's apartment and slipped inside, sliding to the floor after he had shut the door behind him.

He gathered his knees up against his chest and exhaled slowly, trying to imagine that he could see his breath form a pearly white cloud like it would if it was very cold. He wondered if his parents were still looking for him. He imagined what all the kids at school were saying about his disappearance. They were probably spreading weird rumors about what happened to him. He sighed, hoping that his friends wouldn't let that happen.

What did his parents think happened to him? Maybe... maybe they thought he was dead, just like that news report had said. Maybe they were already planning a funeral for him.

_Come on. Snap out of it, Sora. _He told himself sharply, shaking the bad thoughts away. _Do something to keep yourself busy. Watch T.V or read a book or something. _

With a determined look on his face he got to his feet and stretched out his arms while he glanced around the kitchen for something to do. His eyes landed on the stove and he smiled slightly. Maybe he could make dinner. Sora wasn't a great cook but he knew a few simple dishes.

He hesitated before peeking into the cupboards for ingredients. Cooking in Riku's kitchen felt strange, like being at your friend's house when your friend wasn't there.

He ignored the feeling the best he could, focusing his whole mind on what to make. Riku didn't have a very wide selection of food to choose from, but Sora figured he could work around that.

Sora pressed his lips together firmly and rolled up the long sleeves of the jacket he had borrowed from Riku, all the troubling thoughts of home pushed to the back of his head where they couldn't bother him.

0o0

Riku smelled the tomatoes before he had even opened the door. His hand rested on the handle, his brow furrowing as he sniffed. Slowly, he opened the door, expecting to see Roxas or Axel sanding at the kitchen counter cooking up dinner and chatting away with Sora.

Instead he was greeted with the sight of the brunet standing by the stove and leaning over a pot to taste a bit of the sauce he was cooking. He glanced up when he heard Riku enter, shrugging sheepishly.

"What are you doing?" Riku asked quietly, shrugging off his coat and tossing it over the back of one of the chairs.

Sora glanced down at the pots and the fruits he was cutting up. "Making dinner?" he bit his lip, looking as if he was waiting for Riku to scream at him.

Riku was silent for a few minutes as he removed his shades and gloves, setting them carefully on the table. "Why?"

Sora picked up the knife and resumed cutting the fruit, doing his best to not seem nervous. "I got bored. I mean I have nothing to do here except sit around and miss home. And Axel and Roxas were… busy and-" Sora broke off with a hiss and dropped the knife with a clatter. "Ah, damn it I cut myself." Riku caught a flash of bright red before the hostage shoved the finger into his mouth.

Riku sighed and moved forward to pull his arm away. "Sucking on it doesn't help. Let me see it and we can get you a band aid." He studied the cut, surprised to see that it had already stopped bleeding. "It looks okay..." he trailed off, noticing how Sora had stiffened slightly at his touch.

He pulled back slowly, looking away from the younger boy. Of course, it was to be expected that Sora would be even tenser around him than he had been before. He turned away and pulled out a chair and sat down, staring blankly out the window. The night was pitch black and Riku could see his reflection in the glass clearly staring back at him. He frowned at himself, wondering distantly if he still smelled like blood.

"I made some for you too."

Riku jerked his head up, blinking several times before he realized what Sora was talking about. He said nothing as the brunet served him a steaming plate of pasta and fruit. Sora sat down next to him, digging into his dinner eagerly.

They finished the meal silently, both of them concentrating on chewing. Then Riku gathered the dirty dishes and washed them while Sora wandered into the bedroom to shower then retire to bed.

It wasn't much later when Riku joined him, hesitating before slipping into the bed beside him as he had always done. He had been sure that Sora would change his sleeping place to the couch after Riku had attacked him, but the brunet didn't break their strange routine and continued as he always had. Riku wasn't sure f that was simply because Sora didn't want to bring attention to his unease around Riku or that he just didn't care. He figured that it was the first one but with Sora he could never be sure.

"You don't have to sleep here you know." Riku said after a moment, pulling the covers over his legs and turning so that he was laying flat on his back.

He heard a rustle as Sora shifted slightly, the boy's back facing him. "I know."

"Then why are you-"

Sora sighed and cut him off. "Because, you're not a bad guy Riku. At least I don't think you are. You don't _enjoy _killing people and I'm pretty sure you regret what you did to me." He rolled over to face Riku, his blue eyes seeming to glow in the dark room. "You weren't in your right mind at that moment and I trust that you wouldn't do anything like that if you were sober."

Riku averted his gaze from Sora. "Trust? I'm keeping you captive and you _trust _me?" he asked incrediously, shaking his head slightly as he stared up at the ceiling.

Sora was silent for a few moments. Riku could hear him breathing softly as he thought. "I trust you with some things, not everything, but some." He finally said, speaking slowly as if he was weighing each word carefully.

"That's stupid," Riku scoffed, looking at Sora from the corner of his eye. "I could get an order to kill you, you know."

"Would you?"

"I'd have to."

Sora fell quiet, pulling the covers farther up around him. "But would you want to kill me?"

Riku shifted uneasily, feeling strangely self-conscious. They had never spoken before when they had shared the bed to sleep in and therefore it had never really felt personal. But now they were actually holding a conversation and with each word they exchanged Riku became more aware of the short distance between them.

"No…" Riku whispered.

0o0o0o0o0

Joh: I'm sleepy.

Jessie: -cuddles-

Joh: Aw yay! Review please! Or I'll be sad and stuff.


	10. Chapter 10

Killing Time

Disclaimer: Don't own KH…yeah…these things are getting annoying.

Joh: I'd like to thank Jessie for all the lovely help she gave me for this chapter.

Jessie: Aw I'm just happy I could help!

J-twins: -Huggles-

Warnings: Angst ahead, language, some violence, yaoi

0oo0o0o0o0

"What's going on…?" Sora asked slowly, rubbing his eyes and frowning at the group of people gathered in Riku's living room. Riku stood beside Sora, scowling sourly at nothing in particular.

Roxas and Axel were seated on the couch, arms brushing as they spoke in muted tones. Roxas was looking annoyed about something while Axel was smiling lazily, his long fingers tracing patterns across the blonde's knee.

Demyx stood by the couch, looking strangely small without his sitar strapped to his back. Next to him stood a short but slender man who Sora had never seen before. He was frowning and had his arms wrapped around himself, wearing an expression that clearly said he wished he could be anywhere but here.

"Is there some kind of meeting or…?" Sora trailed off curiously, glancing up at Riku. They had just both woken up and from Riku's disgruntled expression Sora wondered if the group of assassins in Riku's apartment was something he had not been expecting.

Riku ignored Sora's question and addressed the group. "You all are too fucking early." He growled, crossing his arms.

Demyx shot his hand up into the air like he was in school waiting for a teacher to call on him. "I can explain!"

Riku raised an eyebrow.

Demyx beamed, clasping his hands together. "You see… I told Axel the idea and then he told Roxas and then Roxas told me that he wanted to go too so I said okay but I forgot when we were supposed to go so we all just came here! Oh! And I got Zexion to agree to come!" Demyx added proudly, poking the man next to him.

"I was wondering why he was here." Riku muttered.

"No one wanted Zexion to come." Axel whispered loudly, earning himself a glare from the pale-haired man.

"Um, I still don't get what's going on." Sora sighed as he scratched the back of his neck, feeling somewhat intimidated by the fact that he was in a room with a bunch of assassins.

"We're going clothes shopping!" Demyx squealed, leaping towards Sora and grabbing him by the shoulders.

Sora's eyes widened, as he slowly comprehended what Demyx had just said. "Clothes? For who?"

"For you, of course." He picked at the long trailing sleeves of the black shirt Sora was wearing. "You can't always be wearing Riku's clothes. It just won't do."

"Are you serious?" The brunet asked breathlessly, hope flaring in his chest. If what Demyx was saying was true then that would mean he would get a chance to go outside. Not only would it be a possible way to escape but Sora was also dying to get away from Riku's apartment after being cooped up in it for so long.

"But we're all going with you so don't get any ideas." Riku grumbled from behind him, as if reading his thoughts.

Sora deflated. "Right…" Well, at least this trip would give him a breath of fresh air.

0o0

After Riku had taken a shower and dressed the group made their way down to the lobby, crowding into the elevator that thankfully no longer smelled like fish. After that Sora wasn't sure what happened since Riku insisted that he be blindfolded so that he wouldn't know their location. Just in case.

Reluctantly, Sora agreed and allowed Riku to tie a black strip of cloth over his eyes and guide him out the door.

Even though he couldn't see, Sora felt refreshed to once again be able to feel wind through his hair and have the sun beaming down on his skin.

"Hurry up, Sora." Riku tugged on his arms and pushed him forward before, without any warning, he was lifted up and into what Sora guessed was a car seat. He felt someone nudge him as they sat beside him, seat belts clicking into place.

"There's no room in here." Axel drawled from somewhere to Sora's left.

"Just squeeze in. I'm sure you can fit, you freaking stick." Sora was sure that was Riku speaking and it sounded like he was sitting right next to him.

There was a rustling sound before Axel cursed and someone jostled Sora. "I'm telling you, there's _no room_." Axel growled.

A car door slammed, making Sora twist his head towards the source of the noise. It was disconcerting to have everyone talking all around him when he was unable to see what was going on.

"Just have Roxas sit in your lap."

"I am _not _sitting in his lap. You think I wanna get groped the whole car ride?"

Axel sniggered and Sora felt someone tug playfully on a lock of his hair. "Then maybe Sora could sit on my lap." This comment was followed by a sharp whack and then a groan before Riku spoke up.

"No one is sitting on anyone's lap." He stated firmly, reaching over Sora to buckle his seat belt for him.

After a few minutes the clamor seemed to calm down. "So…who's driving?" Demyx asked, his voice coming from somewhere behind Sora.

"That would be me!"

Sora frowned at the unfamiliar voice, fingers twitching as he restrained the urge to pull the blindfold away from his eyes.

"Marluxia!"

"What the fuck…"

"What are _you _doing here?" Riku demanded, annoyance seeping into his voice.

"Well, Demyx told me all about your little shopping trip for the boy, so I just _had _to come." The voice (Marluxia? Was that his name?) replied as the car started.

"Shit…" Riku cursed under his breath as the car began to roll forward.

0o0

Halfway through the car ride Riku removed the blindfold and Sora blinked several times, relieved that he could see again. He was sitting in a small car with Riku on one side and Roxas on the other. He was amused to see Axel had squished himself in between Roxas and the window and was staring down at his boots sulkily.

Demyx was sitting in the back, leaning against a spare tire with ear buds plugged in. Zexion was seated in the passenger seat, fingers drumming against the dashboard as he stared blankly out the window.

The driver, Marluxia, was probably the strangest man Sora had ever seen. Stranger even than Xigbar. He had pale pink hair. Pink hair. Long pink hair.

Sora stared at him for several minutes, wondering if he had been wrong in assuming from the voice that Marluxia was a guy. Maybe he/she was a girl with a somewhat deep voice?

"It's a guy." Roxas muttered under his breath, noticing what Sora was looking at.

"Oh…"

0o0

Escaping was definitely going to be difficult, if not impossible.

As soon as they had reached the mall and gotten out of the car, the six assassins surrounded him. They did it casually so that to anyone else they would simply appear to be a large group of friends. No one would suspect anything. They didn't even look remotely like assassins.

"Where should we go first?" Demyx wondered as they entered the mall, shoving his hands into his jeans.

"We should get him a coat since it's getting colder." Roxas suggested, pulling a baseball cap from his bag and putting it on.

Sora frowned, casting a sidelong glance at him. "You make it sound like I'm going to be moving in permanently."

Roxas shrugged. "Well…oh look! A coat store!" he said suddenly, grabbing Sora's sleeve and tugging him towards the store.

Roxas began sorting through the clothing racks along with Marluxia while Sora stood to the side awkwardly. He wondered if he tried to run for it if they would risk making a scene in public to catch him. He sighed. He wasn't sure what the others would do but he knew that Riku wouldn't care about causing a scene.

"How about this?" Marluxia held up a slim white coat with black buttons. "It's cute, hm love?"

"Isn't that a girl's jacket?"

Marluxia glanced at it blankly. "So…?"

Sora stared at him blankly before shrugging. "Whatever." He sighed. He had never really been into what he wore and was therefore, not a big shopping fan.

"What do you think, Riku?" Axel asked, looking amused.

Riku shrugged. "Black would be better." He replied, checking his watch and glancing around the small shop.

"We'll get this one." The pink-haired assassin concluded, folding it over his arm and prancing over to the counter.

The rest of the clothes shopping was spent much like that. Marluxia would pick stuff out, ignoring if Sora liked it or not, while the rest would chat lazily about nothing in particular. It was strange, Sora thought to himself. Everything seemed so relaxed and normal. Was it weird that it felt that way to him?

After two hours each person in the group was carrying at least one bag out into the parking lot to the car.

"Why did you buy so much?" Sora moaned, swinging the two bags he was carrying. "It's not like-"

"Sora!"

The brunet turned his head, eyes widening in shock. Tidus stood a few feet behind him, hand clutching a pretty brown haired girl. "Sora? Is that you?" he hurried forward, dropping the girl's hand. "Dude! What happened? Everyone's been talking about you! Did you run away or something?"

Sora glanced up at Riku anxiously, feeling a cold dread wash over him as he took in the suddenly serious expressions all six assassins were wearing. Even Demyx wasn't smiling anymore.

Tidus glanced around at them, the smile slowly fading from his lips. "Sora, who are these people?"

Sora took a trembling step forward. "They…they're…" he broke off with a jolt when he felt Riku's hand clamp down on his shoulder.

"You should leave." Sora whispered, looking up slowly into Tidus's narrowed blue eyes.

A confused frown creased the blonde's lips as his eyes darted from Sora's panicked expression to Riku looming over him.

"Get in the car, Sora." Riku hissed in his ear, directing him towards the car. From the corner of his eye he watched Demyx subtly reach inside his jacket. With a quick, barely seen flick of his wrist, Demyx sent a small knife flying through the air.

"No, wait!" Sora jerked in Riku's grasp, breaking free and darting forward, stumbling into Tidus heavily.

As pain shot through his shoulder and through the rest of his body, Sora was dimly aware of Tidus exclaiming in confusion and horror, Riku cursing darkly, Zexion growling at Demyx, and his own ragged breaths cutting through the air.

He fell against Tidus's shoulder, eyes fluttering as he felt blood running down his back in thin streams.

"Shit, Sora! What the hell just happened?!" Tidus grabbed him by the arms, steadying him as he looked around wildly. His wide eyes landed on the six men and he took a step back. "You...!" he trailed off and took another step back, dragging Sora with him. "Yuna, go call the pol-"

Riku leaped forward, knocking the blonde over the head, grabbing Sora around the waist and tossing him over his shoulder.

Dizziness washed over Sora as he was thrown roughly into the car, landing sprawled out across the seats. He caught a blurry glance of the girl, Yuna, being held tightly by Marluxia with Zexion whispering something to her so quickly it seemed like his lips were barely moving.

With a groan, Sora reached back to touch his wound gingerly. His stomach lurched when he felt the cold hilt of Demyx's knife protruding from his shoulder, sticky with blood. He squeezed his eyes shut and clenched his teethed as he wrapped his trembling fingers around the hilt and yanked it out. He bit back a scream and fought back the bile in his throat as he tossed the knife to the floor of the car with a muffled thud. He buried his face in the seat, shaking and sweating as he carefully traced his wound with his finger, trying to get a feel for how bad it was.

"Go on ahead, Zexy and I will handle this." Demyx's voice floated through his ears, echoing strangely. That was the last thing Sora heard before he finally passed out.

0o0

Riku frowned as he peeled away the shirt from Sora to inspect his shoulder. Axel turned around in his seat from the front to look at the two in the backseat.

"Doesn't look that bad." He commented, leaning closer to inspect the wound.

Riku carefully touched the wound before drawing back. He was sure that he had seen the knife go in deeply but Sora's wound looked shallow and was already scabbing over. He glanced at the shirt he had pulled off of Sora, inspecting the amount of blood that had seeped into the dark fabric. There was no way there could be that much blood for such a shallow cut.

"Is this normal?" he asked, glancing up at Axel.

The redhead shrugged. "Hell if I know, I'm not a doctor." He snorted.

"Guys, can you shut up for a minute?" Roxas snarled from the driver's seat, hands gripping the wheel tightly. "I need to focus on driving."

Axel rolled his eyes. "Just let me take the wheel, Roxy."

"Fuck you, no." Roxas growled, swerving the car suddenly so that the passengers were jerked in their seats.

Riku sighed and glanced back down at Sora's wounded shoulder. It definitely wasn't normal.

0o0o0o0o0o0

Joh: Yay! This is so not spell checked! Woo!

Jessie: Yay? That's a happy thing?

Joh: Yes…yay.

J twins: Review please!


	11. Chapter 11

Killing Time

Disclaimer: If I owned Kingdom Hearts than it would probably turn into some kind of yaoi hentai game.

Jessie:: And that's bad?

Joh: I dunno, maybe? Probably?

Warnings: Yaoi, Angst, Violence, language

0o0o00o0o0

Sora groaned, eyes fluttering as he slowly came to. He turned his head to the side and curled his fingers against his palm as he looked around in confusion, head swimming from the small movement. His mind slowly registered the white sheets wrapped around him and the soft gray pillows he was resting against as Riku's bed.

He sat up and rubbed at his eyes, his joints stiff and protesting. His brow furrowed as he hesitantly reached back to touch his shoulder blade, half expecting to feel the cold handle of the knife jutting out from his skin. Sora let out a relieved sigh when his fingers brushed against the thin fabric of his shirt as he felt the outline of the jagged scab underneath.

His stomach turned uneasily as he recalled yesterday's events when they had run into Tidus and his girlfriend and the sickening mix of horror and anticipation when they had laid eyes on his captors. Sora frowned as he struggled to remember whatever happened to them afterwards. Everything had happened so quickly…

Suddenly, he flung himself out of bed, knocking the heavy covers off of him to the floor. He stumbled in the blankets as he made his way to the door, dizzy from getting up so quickly.

He flung the bedroom door open and looked around wildly, eyes landing on Riku who was lounging on the sofa flipping through a paper back book.

"Riku!" he hurried over to the silver-haired assassin, nibbling on his lower lip nervously. "Where's Zexion?" He asked, voice high and anxious.

Riku glanced up and arched an eyebrow quizzically in response.

Sora threw himself down on the sofa beside Riku, dread starting to twist its way down his chest leaving a hollow feeling in its wake. "What happened to Tidus? Where is he? Is he okay?" Sora demanded, tensing his shoulders in anticipation for the horrible answer. _Please don't say he's dead. Please don't say you killed him. Please don't say it…_

Riku slowly shut his book and set it down in his lap before answering Sora. "That's insignificant." He paused, his gaze flickering from Sora's face to his shoulder. "How's your wound?"

The brunet jumped to his feet, hands waving through the air in angry gestures. "Insignificant? He's my _friend _and for all I know you guys probably shot him and that girl and threw their bodies in a ditch somewhere! How can you think their lives are unimportant?" Sora growled before his eyes widened and he slowly sank back to the couch. "It'll be my fault if they're dead." He whispered, burying his face in his hands.

For a long time Riku said nothing and Sora simply sat there with his eyes squeezed shut and his fists pressed tight against his face. He listened to Riku shifting in his seat as he picked up his book, leafing through the pages with a rustle.

"They're not dead." Riku suddenly said, ignoring the shocked look Sora sent him as his head shot up from his hands.

"They… they're not? Where are they then? What happened?"

Riku frowned, not taking his eyes off the book as he answered Sora. "They're probably in school or something like that."

"In… school?" Sora repeated with a bewildered expression.

Riku finally looked at him. "We have ways to make people forget things." He told him with an impatient look, as if the answer had been obvious.

That only made Sora more confused. "What do you…?"

"Show me the wound." Riku cut him off with a wave of his hand as he tossed his book to the floor and inched closer to Sora.

"But…"

Riku rolled his eyes and grabbed Sora by his arms, hauling him over so that he could pull the wide collar of his t-shirt down Sora's shoulder to inspect the cut on his back.

It looked the same as it did yesterday; a little red but scabbed over and healing.

Sora yanked away from him, glaring as he pulled the over-sized shirt back up. "Don't just _do that_. You should ask." He muttered, clearly flustered.

"I did ask."

"No, you _demanded. _There's a difference, you know."

Riku sighed and shook his head. "You don't have to keep wearing my clothes. Marluxia left the clothes we bought you in the kitchen. Unless you like wearing my clothes." He added with a small smirk.

Was that a joke? Sora had a hard time imagining _Riku _making a joke so he simply made a face in response before walking into the kitchen to inspect his new clothes. Just as Riku had said several brightly colored bags were lined up neatly along the kitchen table, looking so out of place in Riku's dark kitchen that it was almost comical.

Absentmindedly, he began to pick out an outfit, not really paying attention at all to what he was doing. He was too busy thinking. Sora wasn't sure exactly how he felt about Tidus's situation. Of course he was relived to hear that his friend and his friend's girlfriend were okay, but a smaller part of him was disappointed, maybe even a little angry, that Tidus was back at school with Sora completely forgotten about.

Seeing Tidus had brought him a small flash of hope that maybe he could be saved, that his normal life before he had gotten abducted still existed. Of course, Sora knew that it was a small chance of rescue, but it was a chance all the same. And now that chance was gone. Without a trace.

Sora shook his head firmly; reminding himself that what really mattered was that Tidus was safe and no longer in danger. It was better that way…

0o0

"Sora, hurry up we need to get going." Riku called, rapping his fist against the bathroom door sharply. The sound of water running from the sink stopped as the door cracked open an inch, revealing Sora's disgruntled face.

"But the clothes Marluxia bought are _weird_." He hissed, shifting slightly in discomfort.

Riku sighed and brushed back his long, sweeping bangs. "He's a weird person, it makes sense."

"They're girl clothes! I don't think that…" Sora began but Riku cut him off impatiently.

"We don't have time for this. Just get out of the bathroom." He knocked the door with his foot, making Sora jump a little.

"Fine, fine. Where are we going anyway?" Sora asked, curiosity in his voice as he stepped out of the bathroom.

"We're going…" Riku trailed off into silence as he took in Sora's whole outfit. He was wearing a soft blue button up shirt and low black jeans that hung snug around his hips. Sora was right, there was something distinctly feminine about the outfit, but it was subtle. After all, the pants weren't _that _tight, just tighter than what Sora was probably used to.

Sora frowned when he noticed the way Riku was staring and crossed his arms self-consciously. "I look strange."

Riku coughed and looked away, shrugging his shoulders as he regained his composure. "It doesn't matter as long as they're clothes and they fit you. Let's go."

"Go where?" Sora asked again as he followed Riku through the kitchen out into the hallway. "Outside?"

"To Xemnas."

Sora's steps faltered as they reached the elevators, the name dimly ringing a bell. "Xemnas…" he echoed slowly, brow furrowing as he tried to remember where he had heard that name before. Hadn't someone mentioned Xemnas before?

The silver-haired assassin nodded as the elevator doors slid open. "When we reach his floor don't talk."

Sora frowned, not liking Riku's bossy tone, but didn't argue as they stepped into the elevator together.

0o0

Xemnas lived on the very top floor and had all of it to himself.

As soon as the elevator doors clunked open, revealing the landing, Sora was sure that whoever Xemnas was, he had to be someone important, maybe even the leader of the Organization. He shuddered, wondering why Riku would be bringing him here. Had he been ordered to kill him after all?

Sora glanced fearfully up at Riku who took him by the arm and led him forward into the gleaming white hall. They walked down the spacious hallway, shoes tapping against the glossy wood floors. As Sora looked around it struck him how similar the hall was to the lobby on the bottom floor. Everything seemed to be a glowing white and held an elegant, yet cold look.

"Not a sound." Riku hissed as they stopped in front of a set of large silver doors.

Sora found himself holding his breath as Riku reached out to knock three times on the door before pulling it open. The room they moved into looked like a large study. A couple of glass bookshelves were pressed against the walls holding various thick books that weighed down the shelves. A large desk was set up in the center of the room, papers and folders stacked on the surface.

A tall man with piercing amber eyes and sweeping silver hair was seated at the desk, hands folded neatly before him. "Riku." He acknowledged in a deep voice, inclining his head slightly as he gestured to the two chairs sitting before the desk. "Take a seat."

Riku pushed Sora down onto the chair before sitting down himself, arms crossed loosely over his chest. "I called to meet with you to talk about Sora."

Xemnas was silent for a moment, turning his narrow eyes towards Sora thoughtfully. "You found it necessary to bring him along?"

"Yes. Doesn't he deserve to know why he's here?"

Xemnas leaned back, a thin smile spreading across his pointed face. "I see, so that's what you want to know."

"He's been here for at least a month. I think it's time for both of us to know what Sora's doing here." Riku replied evenly as he leaned forward slightly in his seat.

Sora glanced at Riku, then Xemnas, relief washing over him. So Riku didn't bring him here to die. Riku had brought him so that he could learn about why he was here in the first place. The brunet let out a soft sigh. Finally he could get some answers…

"Unfortunately, I don't agree with you. It would only be rushing things if I told you now." Xemnas said after a moment, picking up a small stack of papers and rifling through them absently.

A dark look crossed over Riku's face, his shoulders hunching as he glared at his boss. "He's been in _my _care for a whole damn month and you don't think we should know _why?_ Just what the hell are you keeping us in the dark for?" he growled, his hands curling into fists.

Xemnas's lip curled as he set down his papers. "Watch your temper, _Zero_. Your place is to obey my orders without question. I have my reasons for keeping certain things secret until I feel you two are ready…" he glanced at Sora, smirking slightly. "Although if it makes you feel any better, I don't believe you'll have to wait much longer for me to tell you."

Sora frowned, unnerved by the way the man was looking at him. What was that supposed to mean?

Riku suddenly stood up, making Sora jerk in surprise when he grabbed him by the shoulder. "We're going. This visit was obviously pointless."

Sora got up hastily to follow after Riku, sending curious looks over his shoulder to Xemnas.

"I expect Sora will be staying with you for a much longer time, far past Dusk." Xemnas called after them, a mysterious smile moving across his face, before Riku shut the door to the office behind him.

0o0

"Riku? Why did he call you zero? And what did he mean when he started saying all that stuff? Far past dusk? Is that some kind of code? And why didn't he want to tell anything about why I'm here? And-"

Riku held up a hand, eyes closed as he leaned against the wall of the elevator. "Only one question. I'll answer only one."

Sora fell silent for a moment, blue eyes narrowed as he frowned down at his shoes. "Will I ever see my parents again? Will I ever go home?" he asked quietly.

The assassin stared at Sora, looking taken aback by the question that he clearly hadn't been expecting.

Sora shifted his weight from one foot to the other, his discomfort growing as the long silence between them stretched on and the sound of the elevator rattling, as it descended grew louder. "I guess that's a stupid question…" Sora said finally, tilting his head back to stare up at the dirty roof of the compartment. The small, yellow numbers of the different floors were lighting up one by one as they continued downwards.

_5_

Suddenly, firm arms curled out around Sora, pulling him back against a solid body. Sora reached up to grab Riku's arms around him, twisting his head around to protest angrily. "Hey! What are you--" he broke off as their eyes met, blue locked with green.

_4_

Riku was gazing down at him with a strange, serious, almost sad expression as he carefully tipped his head forward so that his chin was just brushing Sora's shoulder, their cheeks almost touching. Sora was positive that they had already passed Riku's floor, but Riku didn't seem to notice and Sora didn't want to say anything.

_3_

Sora felt his breath catch in his throat as his muscles all locked into place, freezing him where he was standing. He could feel Riku's breath against his ear, Riku's long hair tickling his neck, and the faint trace of a heartbeat against his back. Why was Riku… hugging him? A thousand thoughts ran through his head before it suddenly hit him.

_2_

Sora slumped back against Riku, leaning into the embrace as he stared at his blurry reflection in the metal doors of the elevator. At that moment, it no longer mattered that he was allowing himself to be held by his captor, because Riku was giving him an answer.

No, they were keeping Sora. They were keeping Sora for good.

He wanted to keep hoping that if he was patient a chance for escape or rescue would spring up and he could return home without incident.

But this weak thought was getting harder and harder to cling onto as the days dragged on and time slowly began to lose its meaning. Sora wanted to believe he could get out; he wanted to believe this so badly! But there was something in Riku's narrow, teal eyes and something in the way he hugged him that confirmed Sora's fears. This was reality; this was how it was going to end. He wasn't going home.

Sora clutched Riku's arms tighter around him as he bowed his head forward and gritted his teeth to fight back the hot tears building behind his eyes. It didn't matter that Riku was supposed to be his enemy. Sora just needed… he needed this right now; he needed this comfort.

_1_

His ever-ticking clock of optimism was wearing down, slowly breaking, regardless of how hard he held onto it.

0o0

Roxas stared down at the heavy body of the man he just killed. The gunshot had echoed off the large warehouse's walls, making the sound seem ten times louder than it actually was. Shadows from the stacked crates around him seemed to leap towards him with pointed fingers as he shifted in place, the silence after the gunshot stifling and cold.

As he stared at the two guns in his hands shining coldly under the dim light, he suppressed the guilt slowly rising in his chest. This man had been a drug lord, keeping the men who worked for him close by manipulating their addictions. He was a corrupt, power hungry man and the world was much better off without him. That's what Roxas told himself anyway. He tilted his head to the side, watching the blood from the hole in the man's neck seep out across the floor. He took a step back as the blood crept closer to him, threatening to stain his shoes. No, Roxas was sure that he hated this job. He hated having to follow these orders, hated the thick smell of blood that clung to his clothes, and he hated the fact that no matter how badly he wanted to leave he would never have anywhere else to go.

Roxas was pulled out of his thoughts when he heard something rustle behind him. He spun around, eyes narrowing at a man leaning heavily against the rusty truck they had been in the middle of packing, the bodies of his coworkers strewn about on the floor around him.

"You… you…" The dead man's lackey spoke up, jerking out of his shock. "You bastard!" he shouted, voice ringing off the crates and boxes surrounding them. With a trembling hand he reached into his jacket to pull out a gun, but Roxas was quicker. Before the man could so much as point the weapon at him, there was a bang and he fell to his knees with a sharp cry.

The gun fell to the cement with a loud clatter as he gripped his arm, blood welling up between his fingers and dripping down to the cold floor. "Shit… shit…" he moaned, looking up with wild eyes as Roxas approached him. He bowed his head low, the black beanie he was wearing falling forward as he shook his head back and forth.

Roxas stared down at him, a small frown creasing his lips as he felt a spark of recognition light up. "What's your name?" He pointed the gun at the man's forehead threateningly.

The young man spat at his feet before glaring up at him defiently. "Like hell I'd tell you," he sneered. As the man tilted his head up the weak light fell upon his face, illuminating the thin scar across his features.

_It couldn't be…_ Roxas slowly let his arm drop back to his side as he studied the young man carefully. _Seifer?_

"Roxas, what's the hold up?"

The blonde blinked then turned his head and took a small step back. "Axel…"

"Come on, we need to get moving. I set up the bombs, so unless you want to get blown up along with this dump then-" Axel was interrupted by a sudden gunshot, his green eyes widening as Roxas stumbled backwards, a stain of dark scarlet spreading through the fabric of his jeans. "Roxas!" Axel cried out, hurrying forward to catch the blonde in his arms. He turned to the man kneeling on the pavement, his face twisting with rage. "You little _shit_."

The man was clutching the gun he had dropped before, sweat beading his face as his arms trembled weakly. With a vicious kick, Axel knocked the gun out of the man's grasp and sent him flying across the floor with a heavy thud.

"Fuck, we don't have time for this." Axel cursed, scooping Roxas up so that he was cradled carefully against his chest. He would have liked to continue beating on the man who had dared to shoot Roxas but the blonde was bleeding heavily and the bomb was ticking. "Are you going to be able to hang onto those?" Axel tapped a finger against one of Roxas's weapons. The blonde tightened his grip around them until his knuckles turned white and nodded weakly.

Axel stared down at him for a moment before brushing his lips quickly across Roxas's flushed cheek. Without another word they left into the night, only a few minutes before the warehouse exploded into bright, leaping flames that clawed hungrily towards the sky.

0o0

Roxas hissed as he felt himself being set down on a table, his injured leg being jostled by the movement. His glazed over eyes fluttered open and swiveled around to take in the pale, angry face of his lover. He could distantly hear a pair of voices speaking in hushed tones in the background, he strained to hear them but he couldn't make out a word they were saying.

He watched with an almost detached expression as Axel swiftly unbuttoned his jeans and yanked them down, revealing an ugly mess of blood on his thigh.

Axel inhaled sharply, twisting his head around to glance at someone. "Where the fuck is Vexen?"

"He's not in his apartment." Was that Zexion? What was Zexion doing here?

"Then someone go _find _him!" Axel was on the verge of screaming, his eyes wide and his lips scowling. "_Fuck!"_

A cool hand was pressed against his forehead and Roxas looked up as he slowly relaxed under the touch. "Sora," he whispered, confused as to why the brunet was here.

Sora struggled to smile reassuringly and opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off by Axel.

"If Vexen doesn't show then I'm going to take Roxas to a hospital." He growled lowly, eyes concentrated straight ahead.

"_We _can't go to hospitals, Axel. You would be putting the whole organization in danger! You-" Riku voice floated through the room, echoing strangely and making Roxas frown. Sora's face above him was wavering and shifting in a way that made the blonde feel dizzy and sick.

"If we don't do something Roxas will fucking bleed to death on this table!" Axel roared, grabbing Riku by the collar and shaking him.

Roxas closed his eyes, Riku and Axel's arguing voices blurring together as a strange numbness swept over him. He twitched his fingers by his sides, stomach turning as he felt hot blood pooling around his thigh.

Suddenly Zexion's voice broke through the loud voices, clear and firm. "Why don't you have Sora heal him?"

The room fell silent as everyone turned to stare at Sora, even Roxas had to open his eyes to stare up at the gaping brunet.

"Me?" he asked, looking around, shocked. "I don't know anything about this kind of stuff! I hardly know basic first aid." The boy protested, eyes darting down to glance at Roxas apologetically before looking back up.

Zexion's pale face floated into view, his visible eye focused on Sora with an almost smug certainty in his expression. "_Dolci Mani_, right, Sora?"

0o00o0o00o0

Joh: This is the first time I actually re-read a chapter and touched it up and did a lot of editing. I finished this about a week ago then looked it over and added a lot and just generally improved it.

Jessie: Yay?

Joh: Yay! Usually I just write the chapter then post it without so much as glancing it over. I think this turned out nicely.


	12. Chapter 12

Killing Time

Disclaimer: Don't own it.

Joh: This chapter kinda sucks but it's uh… like a transition chapter to the next part in the story.

Jessie: Joh doesn't like transition chapters.

Joh: They make me go ick. I hate this chapter but whatever...

Warnings: Violence, yaoi, stuff

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Sun streamed in pass the windows, lighting up the dust particles drifting through the air. Axel was sitting at his kitchen table, a bottle of flat soda cupped in one hand, the other drumming restlessly across the wood surface. Green eyes fluttered, struggling to remain open and not give in to the need for sleep. He turned his head to watch his long shadow shift slightly across the tiled floor as he leaned forward in his seat. With a sigh, he looked away; he could feel the hot sun beating down upon his back, making his shirt cling to his skin with sweat despite the fact that it was winter.

From where he was sitting he could see Roxas sleeping in the next room on the couch, one arm curled around a pillow, hugging it to his chest.

A faint smile touched his lips briefly before it melted away. The image of Roxas's stricken face as he was shot seemed to be burned into his mind, refusing to leave. Axel pressed a hand to his face, rubbing at his eyes. He hated the idea of Roxas leaving the Organization, because not only would Roxas be leaving _him _but also there was no way Xemnas would let him go alive. You can't just _leave _the Organization. It didn't work that way.

The safest place for Roxas was here with Axel; at least that's what he had thought.

The redhead took a long sip of his drink, swishing it around in his mouth without really tasting it. His gaze drifted back over to his blonde boyfriend, a troubled frown forming.

0o0

Axel was snoring.

Axel was snoring loudly _and _he was drooling on Roxas's arm.

The blond blinked several times as he slowly, reluctantly woke up. He was lying sprawled out across Axel's couch, a blanket thrown over him and Axel's face snuggled against his side, a cheek resting against the crook of his elbow.

Roxas quickly shook him off as he sat up, scowling at the wet spot on his arm, courtesy of his redheaded boyfriend. He ran a hand through his hair, eyes narrowing up at the ceiling as he sorted through his muddled thoughts.

_There was an explosion. Hot, sticky blood was flowing down his leg, making his jeans cling to his skin in an itchy, uncomfortable way. Axel was cursing somewhere above him. Sad, blue eyes were staring down at him and a gentle hand was cooling his overheated skin. _

"Hey, Axel. I had the strangest dream." Roxas began, cocking his head to glance down at the older man. "You were in it and…" he trailed off, eyebrows arching quizzically at the look Axel was giving him.

Axel's eyes were looking strangely red and swollen, but his whole face seemed to light up as he stared at Roxas, a relieved smile stretching his lips. "You're okay," he exclaimed, sounding surprised but incredibly happy all the same.

"Well, yeah…"

Axel stumbled to his knees and grasped Roxas by his shoulders, leaning forward so that their foreheads were just touching. "I wasn't sure… I didn't think…" he broke off with a sharp bark of laughter, releasing Roxas and getting clumsily to his feet. "It actually worked." He grinned dazedly and pressed a hand to his face, impatiently pushing back a few strands of red. "The kid _actually _did it!" he laughed again, looking nearly hysterical with relief.

Roxas frowned, having no idea what Axel was babbling on about. "Are you… drunk, by any chance?"

"Yes! No - I mean no." Axel shook his head, still grinning widely. "You don't hurt at all? Not even in your leg?"

Roxas shook his head slowly, fingers darting absently across his thigh. "Why…?" he cut himself off, eyes widening as a sharp memory suddenly sprang forth.

_A sharp face was staring up at him, a few strands of straw colored hair clinging to the man's clammy forehead. A pistol was clutched tightly in his hand, his arms trembling so badly that the weapon was clattering between his fingers. And there was pain, so much pain that…_

"He shot me! That bastard shot me!" Roxas gasped, one hand flying to his lips while the other clutched tightly around his leg. All the memories from the previous night came flooding back along with a numb sort of horror as he realized that it actually hadn't been a dream. Frantically, he fumbled with his boxers (only just realizing that was all he was wearing, but not really caring at the moment) and yanked the leg up slightly to reveal his surprisingly smooth thigh.

Bewildered, he touched the spot where he was _sure _the bullet wound should have been, tracing the pads of his fingers across the unmarred skin. "So… it _was _a dream then?" he wondered out loud, feeling a headache forming. But no, it couldn't have been a dream. He remembered every detail so _perfectly _now_. _Seifer's sweat slicked face staring up at him, the raw smell of blood parading the air, the loud explosion as the gun went off, the red mess of ripped skin along his thigh. That had all happened, so why…?

Axel kneeled down in front of him and reached out to cup his face, thumbs stroking his cheeks. "No it happened. You were bleeding all over the table and - shit I didn't know what was going to happen." He admitted, shuddering faintly at the memory. "Remind me to find Vexen and kick his ass later." He added darkly, scowling.

"Uh, sure. What did he do wrong?" Roxas had never seen much of Number IV and therefore knew little about him except for the fact that his skill was mainly creating poisons of different types and – on occasion, to stitch up wounds.

"He wasn't fucking _available _at the time. No one could find him." Axel pulled back and rolled his shoulders. "But that's another story. What really matters is that _Sora _–"

0o0

"—healed Roxas!" Riku pushed back his bangs as he poured himself another cup of coffee. "Sora _healed _Roxas." He repeated for what had to be the 50th time already.

"Yes, that _is _what happened. I know. I was there." Zexion reminded him, flipping through a thick book, eyes scanning the pages quickly as he did his best to ignore the silver-haired man.

Riku took a long sip of his coffee, scalding his tongue on the hot beverage but hardly noticed the burn as he puzzled over Sora. "How did you know he could… do that?"

Zexion finally tore his gaze from his book to look up at Riku with mild irritation. "Research, how else?" he drawled, raising his eyebrows.

The silver-haired assassin scowled, attempting to move forward to snatch the book from Zexion's hand but stumbled over a stack of textbooks instead. "I hate your room." he grumbled as he righted himself, his knees throbbing painfully.

"Then don't come inside." Zexion said simply, snapping his book shut and setting it carefully on top of another wobbling pile of books.

Riku ignored him, looking around the cluttered room for a place to sit. Finding that none of the surfaces were clear he settled for leaning back against the wall and crossing his arms. "I want to know how Sora healed him."

"Hands."

Zexion swiveled his seat around so that he was facing his computer, the screen casting an almost green glow over his pale skin. He caught the confused look on Riku's face as he turned and wiggled his own hands in the air as an example. "Sora used his hands."

"But _how?_"

Zexion didn't reply right away. He started typing an e-mail, fingers flying quickly across the keyboard so fast that he finished writing the letter before Riku could even attempt to read it over his shoulder. "A special talent. Magic?" A smirk curled the edges of his lips as he turned to glance at Riku.

Riku snorted, shaking his head. "Magic. Right. This isn't fairy land." He paused and frowned. "There has to be an explanation." He muttered, more to himself than to Zexion.

"Like I said, it could be just a unique talent, something in the blood."

"Does that mean there could be others like him?" Riku wondered.

Zexion shrugged, tapping his fingers lightly against the keys. "Possibly."

Riku was silent for a moment, staring into his cup of coffee that was slowly growing cold. "So he can heal injuries." Riku concluded, setting the cup down on Zexion's messy desk and hurrying to the door. "It makes sense now… healing injuries." He shook his head again before slipping out of the room, knocking over a few books in the process.

"Physical and mental injuries." Zexion added softly, but Riku was already gone.

0o0

Sora glanced up when the apartment door slammed open, bouncing off the wall as Riku strode into the kitchen looking strangely pleased about something. The brunet frowned. He couldn't think of anything good about his current… problem… so why was Riku smiling? Riku almost _never _smiled.

He shifted uneasily in his seat, fingers curling around the glass of water he had poured for himself. As Riku pulled out a chair across the table from him, Sora couldn't help but feel a coil of dread twist down his chest to his stomach. Riku was going to give him bad news, wasn't he? As if things could get any worse…

Sora winced and shook his head. No, he couldn't think that. Whenever someone thinks that things can't possibly get worse, they always do somehow. Sora firmly pushed that thought out of his mind, not wanting to jinx himself.

"I get it now." Riku announced somewhat proudly, tapping his fingers against the shiny wood surface.

"Oh good." His voice came out almost like a squeak, making Sora flush and sink slightly lower in his seat. Oh, the stress was definitely getting to him. He coughed, trying to clear his throat before he spoke again. "What… what do you get?" Sore hoped that his tone sounded a _hell _of a lot calmer than he felt.

Riku's fingers halted their dance across the table surface to lift up and point, almost accusingly at him. "You." He paused, shaking his finger at Sora. "You have the… ability to heal." He waited as if expecting Sora to nod and agree, to confirm what he was saying.

Sora fidgeted, spinning the glass slowly so that the water swished around inside of it. "I really don't think that…" he trailed off, his voice barely a whisper.

"Then how do you explain Roxas's leg?"

Sora flinched. "I don't… that was a fluke, or something! I couldn't have…. I don't know how that happened!" He shook his head and pushed the glass away so that he could lay his head down on the table and pretend that this was all a very messed up and unpleasant dream. But when he closed his eyes all he could see was his own shaking hands lightly touching the bleeding hole in Roxas's thigh. He could still practically _feel _the torn skin moving under his fingertips as the wound began to slowly close up, stitching itself back together. He shuddered and felt a wave of nausea roll over him. How was he supposed to know how he did that? It had never happened before… but then again Sora had never actually seen a wound that bad before either.

"I just want to go home." He whispered. The young brunet pulled his arms up to wrap around his head, running his fingers through his hair.

"But now you know why you're here."

"Yeah, great." Sora responded dully.

Riku sighed and leaned back in his seat. "I have an assignment tonight."

"Okay."

"I was told to bring you with me." Riku continued slowly, eyes watching Sora's reaction carefully, the smile gone from his face.

Sora's head snapped up to stare at Riku with eyes. He blinked several times as he leaned forward, cocking his head slightly. "Wait, what?"

"I was told to bri-"

Sora scrambled to his feet, knocking his chair back to the floor. "_Why? _I can't… I don't… I don't want to…" he broke off suddenly, fixing Riku with a strange look. "Will you be… bringing your gun?" he asked in a small voice.

"Of course." Riku stood up as well, tucking his hands into his pockets. He walked around the table to stand in front of Sora, reaching out to place his hands over the brunet's shoulders. "You don't have to do anything and I'll… I'll protect you."

Sora looked up slowly into Riku's eyes, a flush rising to his cheeks. Strange… Riku's eyes almost looked blue, blue green actually. Sora had always thought that his eyes were kind of like marbles, green and pretty but cold and distant. But now…

Riku's voice jerked him back to reality when the assassin started to speak again. "And don't worry about your ability. You saved Roxas, you should be happy."

Sora thought about that for a moment, and realized that Riku had a point. He _saved _Roxas. It didn't matter, at least not right now, that he had used some weird freaky ability that he only just discovered he possessed, because he actually _saved someone. _So for a brief moment, Sora allowed himself to forget about his other problems and smile.

0o0

"This is so not okay." Sora moaned as Riku parked the car on the side of a nearly deserted road. He watched with growing apprehension as the assassin pulled on his gloves and pulled up his hood, shadowing his features. "Why do I have to be here? I'm only going to get in your way… and what if I use this as an opportunity to escape?"

"If that's the case then you should be looking forward to this." Riku answered flatly, unbuckling his seat belt and reaching over to motion for Sora to do the same. As he moved to open the door Sora grabbed his arm, stopping him.

"Why did you have to bring me?" Sora looked at him with pleading eyes, his voice sounding strained and tight.

Riku shook Sora's hand away impatiently. "Xemnas told me I _might _need you." He ignored Sora's frightened expression, stepped out of the car and slammed the door shut, the sound seeming to be muffled by the utter silence blanketing them.

Reluctantly, Sora slid out of the car, his fingers clutching the door handle like it was a life preserver. "What's that supposed to mean?" Sora demanded, his voice unconsciously dropping to a whisper.

Riku shrugged before reaching out to tug the hood of Sora's slim coat over his head. The hood wasn't as big as his own was so it didn't shadow Sora's face quite so much, but it made his features less noticeable. He wrapped a hand firmly around Sora's wrist, leading him forward along the empty stretch of road.

Sora fell silent as he tried to numb his thoughts until all he was focusing on was the crunch of leaves under their feet and the rustle of the trees in the woods lining the road. After what felt like forever of walking alongside black pavement and creaking, old trees, they reached what looked like an old bar. Lights were spilling out from the windows, casting yellow patches across the small parking space in front of it. Music dimly heard from inside the bar cut through the heavy silence the night cast, giving the place an inviting feeling.

"Are we going inside?" Sora asked quietly, rubbing the toe of his shoe in the dirt, shivering as a cold wind picked up.

"No, we're waiting."

"Oh."

Sora didn't bother asking who or what they were waiting for, because he knew Riku would either gave him a vague, one-word answer that would hardly make sense, or just not reply at all. They stood there in the shadows for a long time, watching as small groups of people slowly began to leak out of the bar, their laughter and chatter seeming strangely loud. Sora had long lost count of how many people had left the bar and was growing restless. The amount of cars in the parking lot began to drop, until only one remained.

The brunet glanced at Riku, wondering if this was what they were waiting for. Riku did seem a lot tenser, his shoulders hunching forward and his knees bending slightly as if ready to pounce. But he didn't make any further movements. He was still waiting, waiting for something. Sora glanced doubtfully at the silent bar. Surely it was empty by now… so what exactly was supposed to happen?

As if on cue, a tall man swung out from the bar, hands shoved deep in his pockets as he whistled a nameless tune to himself. He paused, swinging his head around, a frown forming across his face as he noticed Riku and Sora watching him from across the lot. "Sorry, man, but the bar's just closing." He glanced back at the small building and, as if to prove his point, the music abruptly shut off. He shrugged and grinned. "You should come earlier next time." He advised them, pulling out a set of keys and tossing them up into the air before catching them again as he strode over to his car.

Riku took slow, careful steps forward, towards the dark-haired man; hand tight around Sora's wrist.

The young man looked back up at them curiously, about to open his car. "Can I…" he trailed off as Riku got closer, his eyes studying the black coat Riku was wearing. His expression swung from surprise to something Sora couldn't quite read. "Oh, you're one of _his _dogs, aren't you?" he straightened, raising an eyebrow as his gaze trailed over to Sora curiously.

Riku didn't bother replying as he began to slide a hand into his jacket, fingers curling around his gun. Sora shifted nervously, his heart hammering in his ears as he looked between the two. There was something dangerous about this man standing before them, something that made him similar to Riku somehow.

"I was really hoping for a peaceful night in but I guess that's not going to happen, huh?" The man sighed and tucked his keys back into his pocket, shaking his head and frowning. "Let's take this somewhere more private." He suggested, strolling forward and past Riku without waiting for his reply.

Riku turned and followed the strange man, jerking Sora after him. Sora twisted around to stare at the bar longingly as they continued forward into the shadows, away from the light the run down building offered.

He glanced back at the dark-haired man, studying him. This stranger seemed way too calm for him to be just an ordinary person. From what he had said, it was obvious that he knew what Riku was, and yet the fact that he was with an assassin didn't seem to bother him. "My name's Zack, by the way. But you probably knew that." The man said, chuckling softly.

Riku grunted a reply before suddenly leaping forward, silver gun flashing dimly in his hand. The man, Zack, sprang back just as swiftly, seeming completely unfazed by the sudden attack. He was grinning as he swung his leg out at Riku, moving a few paces back into the trees crowding the road, shadows swallowing him whole.

Riku followed him into the woods, yanking Sora along impatiently as he searched between the dark trunks for his target. The young brunet was struggling to pull free, fear pounding through him as he scratched and pulled at the long fingers closed around his wrist. He didn't want to get caught in the middle of this fight! He had to get away, somewhere safe, somewhere far from these two men.

A gunshot rang off the rough, uneven bark of the trees, shattering the silence settled over the twisted branches above. Sora flinched and looked around wildly, still desperately trying to free himself from Riku's tight grip.

Riku's eyes were hidden, but from the way he was standing completely still, leaning forward slightly, Sora could tell he was waiting, watching. Nothing happened for a long, tense moment and Sora found himself holding his breath as he peered through the darkness.

Suddenly, in a blur of color and motion, Riku was thrown back, his grasp leaving Sora as he stumbled. Zack stood over him, the smile gone from his face as he stared down at the assassin sent after him. A thin blade gleamed harshly in one hand, the very tip stained with a line of blood, while his other hand was clutched into a tight fist, drawn back for a punch.

Sora gasped, taking half a step forward before stopping himself. His eyes were drawn to the cut drawn across Riku's neck, a small pearl of crimson forming. If the knife had gone just a little bit deeper than Riku could have…

Before Sora could finish that thought, Riku lifted his arm and shot. Once again, Sora winced at the harsh blast of sound, taking a few shaky steps back. But then it occurred to him. Riku was distracted, he could run, he could escape this.

Zack dodged all the bullets Riku sent at him, ducking and swerving with as much, if not more, grace than Riku himself. The silver-haired assassin was back on his feet, blocking the swings of Zack's long knife with his gun, creating a metallic chime each time they collided.

Sora tried to force himself to turn and run, but his feet were planted into the grass, his whole body incapable of movement. Riku was an excellent fighter, no doubt, but he was starting to look like he was being worn down slowly, but surely. Sora bit his lip. Was Riku… was he going to lose?

This was crazy! He should be using this chance to escape, not stand around worrying about whether Riku would be okay or not. Riku was a deadly assassin; he could take care of himself. Sora firmly averted his gaze, turning around to walk away. He took a small step forward and paused, his brief surge of courage faltering.

"_You don't have to do anything and I'll… I'll protect you."_

It seemed too cruel to walk away. Sora knew that was ridiculous, but he couldn't shake the feeling. Tentatively, he glanced back.

Riku's hood had fallen back letting his long, silver hair fall loose around his face. A small cut was scratched across his cheek, but otherwise he seemed okay. The two men were pacing around each other in a tight circle, eyes sharp and limbs tensed to spring.

Zack was swinging the long knife in his hand, his lips drawn into a thin line. Blood was staining the sleeve of his shirt from where one of Riku's bullets had grazed him, but he hardly seemed to notice it. "So tell me, why did Xemnas send you after me?" Zack narrowed his eyes, tilting his head slightly. "I'm curious."

"You're in his way."

Zack nodded, a smirk forming. "So I must be eliminated, hm? How heartless." The dark-haired man chuckled softly and leaped forward, blade slicing through the air with a swift, rushing sound.

"Riku!" Sora cried out before he could stop himself, hands flying to his lips.

Riku jerked his head automatically in Sora's direction, his eyes only leaving Zack for a few moments. But it was only a few moments that Zack needed.

Sora had always thought that when something really dramatic and horrible happened, the moment would seem to drag on like slow motion in a movie. But when the narrow blade of the knife met the rough fabric of Riku's coat and ripped through it into his shoulder, Sora had to blink several times because he wasn't sure what had just happened. It had happened so quickly. One moment, Riku was glancing at him, and then suddenly the shining metal of a knife was pierced through his skin, slick and running with his blood.

But, of course, Riku wasn't willing to let it end there. Riku raised his arm swiftly, pulling back the trigger with bared, snarling teeth. Zack's eyes widened as he made to leap out of harm's way, but the distance between him and the gun was too short. Red blossomed across his shirt as he stood there; wobbling in place for a minute before he finally crumpled, light eyes dulling.

The knife was yanked from Riku's shoulder and it fell to the soft ground with a muffled thump. As Riku staggered to his knees, face drawn tight with pain, Sora found that suddenly there wasn't enough air. There was a scream stuck in his throat, choking him, and he opened his mouth to let it loose but no sound came out. His eyes were glued to Riku, who was tilted forward, breathing heavily as blood dripped steadily to the ground. He couldn't move, he couldn't do anything but stare and stare and stare. That man was dead and Riku was hurt and that man was _dead._

When Riku turned his head to look at him, eyes piercing through his long bangs, the spell broke and Sora was able to move again. He hurried over to Riku's side, crouching down as he lightly touched his arm. Riku shuddered slightly, dropping the gun to clutch his injured shoulder.

Sora carefully wrapped an arm around him, fingers hovering over the gaping wound. This could be his last chance to escape. And Riku was injured so he probably wouldn't be able to chase after him if he ran now. He could do it; he could walk away now and go home. He could see his parents again, his friends. Everything could go back to wonderful normalcy.

Sora thought about it, and then sighed because he knew what he had to do. He pressed his hand over Riku's wound and healed him.

0o0

"Sir?"

Xemnas glanced up, his face shadowed from the small fire leaping in the grand fireplace before him. He folded the newspaper he had been reading and set it aside, lacing his fingers together in his lap. "Yes, Saix?"

The tall man he was addressing paused, shutting the office door behind him before taking a few small steps into the room to stand beside the armchair Xemnas was lounging in. "If I may ask, why did you send Riku after Zack? Surely, Number III would have been better matched against that man."

Xemnas raised an eyebrow, amber eyes narrowing curiously. "You do not have confidence in Riku's abilities?"

Saix shook his head and brushed back his long hair. "There is no doubt that he is strong. I simply don't believe that his weapon or fighting style would work well with Zack's."

"Hm." The Superior was silent for a moment, turning his gaze back to the crackling fire. "You're right. That mission was merely an experiment of mine."

"An experiment, sir?"

Xemnas smiled. "Yes. It's about time, don't you agree?"

0o0o0o0o0

Joh: I hate this chapter. I meant for it to explain a lot more but uh… it didn't turn out the way I planned.

Jessie: Everyone's getting hurt D:

Joh: Oh yes.


	13. Chapter 13

Killing Time

Disclaimer: Don't own it.

Joh: I've been kinda busy lately so I haven't been doing much writing. Sorry guys! I WILL UPDATE WRITE NOW!!!!

Jessie:….

Joh: It's a pun… get it?

Jessie: Never again, Joh, never again.

Warnings: Yaoi, language, randomness, bad writing

0o0o0o0o0o0

There was a fly somewhere in the room.

Riku could hear it buzzing around by the ceiling light, casting a small, darting shadow across the wall. He didn't bother glancing up at it, knowing it would almost certainly be found dead in the morning, laying in either a lampshade or in a windowsill (how did they end up in there anyway?). No, Riku didn't have time to waste thinking about some bug that had managed to get stuck in his apartment. Lost in thought, he was hunched over the kitchen table, a can of flat soda clutched tightly in his fist. He brought it to his lips and paused for a moment, letting the rim linger there by his mouth. He stared sightlessly across the room at the wall while images from the fight with Zack seemed to play across the white plaster like the slowly creeping shadows around him.

Everything felt strangely surreal. The hum of the pipes in the walls, the constant buzz of the fly dancing across the light, the faint smell of coffee from the brew Sora had made for himself. That had probably been the first time Riku had ever seen the brunet drink coffee, now that he thought about it.

He set the soda down and reached up to lightly draw his fingers across the rip in his shirt, feeling the crusty stain of blood in the fabric. Beneath the hole, however, his skin was smooth and clear with no signs of ever having held a wound.

Riku let his arm fall back down to lie limply in his lap. This couldn't be real. There was just no way Sora would choose to save him instead of taking the chance to run for it. It didn't make sense… it was just…

"You should get some sleep."

Riku jumped, upsetting the soda can. Clear liquid ran across the table, reaching the edge and dripping over onto the floor. He stared at the mess blankly, watching it spread across the tabletop before glancing up at Sora.

The teenager was staring at the mess as well, frowning slightly. It was unusual for Riku to get startled like that, after all. "Here, I can take care of this." Sora entered the kitchen and grabbed a sponge from the sink. "You can just-"

"No, I've got it."

"It's fine, I don't mind-"

"You don't have to…" Riku trailed off into an awkward silence, his hand reaching out and hovering over the sponge Sora was clutching.

Sora stared down at Riku's hand before shifting his gaze to the spilled soda that had begun to drip more steadily over the table, looking reluctant to meet Riku's green eyes. He bit his lip and dropped the small, blue sponge into the growing puddle, snatching back his hand. "Okay… I'll just…" he hesitated, voice wavering. "Don't stay up all night." Sora said softly before turning and making his way out of the kitchen.

Riku grabbed the sponge and began half-heartedly wiping at the mess, dragging it back and forth in slow, long swipes. After a moment he looked up, his fingers tightening around the soft material of the sponge. "Wait."

Sora paused in the doorway, taking a long moment to breathe in before he turned his head to look back at Riku. "Yeah?"

Riku froze, suddenly realizing that he wasn't sure what exactly he wanted to say to Sora. "…Why…why did you…?" Riku winced at how unsteady his voice was.

"What?" Sora turned more fully around to face Riku, eyes curious.

Riku glanced down at the floor before flickering his gaze back at Sora. "I just… I would have…" he broke off with a sigh and shook his head. "You didn't have to save me…so… thank you." His voice was barely a whisper, hardly any louder than the fly buzzing about over their heads.

Sora stared at him and then smiled faintly, eyes tired. It suddenly struck Riku just how much older Sora suddenly seemed. "Don't worry about it. I know anyone would have made that choice had they been in my position." He shrugged his shoulders, faking nonchalance.

The assassin blinked before a smile slowly spread across his lips, the uncertainty fading from his eyes. "If that was true I wouldn't be saying thank you."

0o0

The next few days passed by awkwardly but peacefully. Sora continued to pretend that his choice to save Riku was no big deal while Riku continued to avoid the subject like it was some sort of disease. The days were getting gradually colder and Riku was forced to add several more blankets to the bed after he noticed Sora shivering one night. They were falling back into their old routine, but both of them could tell that there was something different now. Something had changed between them, something small that was hovering over them, waiting for them to acknowledge it. Sooner or later, that little something would spring out at them and take them by surprise, but for now it was content to lie and wait.

"Do you have any paint?"

Riku glanced away from the TV to stare at Sora over his shoulder, clearly taken aback by the random question. "What for?" he asked, cocking his head and tossing an arm over the back of the couch as he twisted in his seat to get a better look at the brunet. "You going to be redecorating my apartment or something?" he arched an eyebrow questioningly.

Sora shrugged as he approached Riku and walked around the couch, sliding into the seat beside him. "I just… want to start painting." He said slowly, voice lifting at the end like he was asking a question.

"Like painting on paper?" Riku questioned, incredulous.

Sora frowned and stared down at his blue socks, wiggling his toes in them. "I just want something to do." He glanced at the TV. "Have there been anymore reports about me…?"

Riku shook his head. "No." he paused and tapped the remote control against his knee, shaking his silver hair back out of his face. "And I don't have any paint…sorry." He added, shifting uncomfortably.

"That's ok-"

"Man, what's with you two? You guys are acting more awkward towards each other than usual." The two turned around as Axel strolled into the room chuckling, Roxas following in his steps with the attitude of a small rain cloud.

Riku's lips pursed into a tight line as his eyes slid from Axel's smirk to Roxas's scowl. "You could at least knock." He grumbled, turning back around to watch TV.

Axel grinned and perched himself on the arm of the couch, snatching the remote from Riku's hand to turn it off. "I figured that our relationship was at that stage when I didn't need to knock." He smirked at the annoyed glare Riku sent his way before directing his gaze towards Sora. "And what's this about paint?"

"I want to start painting." Sora's eyes flickered to Roxas who was glowering at the floor. "Just so I won't go stir crazy."

The redhead stared at him then laughed, nearly falling off the edge of the couch. "_Painting? _Like painting windmills, apples and shit?"

"Yeah, Axel, just like that." Sora sighed and reached across Riku to grab the remote control but Axel pulled it back, out of reach. The redhead's eyebrows were rising slowly as he leaned forward to study Sora more closely.

"Wait, wait, wait. It just hit me. Can you repeat what you just said?"

"Uh… yeah Axel, just like that?"

"No, before that."

"I want to start painting…?"

Axel shook his head, his smile growing. "Noo, a little after that."

"Um…" Sora frowned, squinting his eyes as he tried to remember exactly what he had said then.

Riku rolled his eyes and yanked the remote control away from Axel, ignoring the redhead's protest. "So you won't go stir crazy. That's what you said."

Axel clapped his hands together and laughed. "Yes! That! I see that someone certainly pays careful attention to what our little hostage says." He poked Riku, snickering when he got a low growl in response.

Sora looked confused. "What about that?"

Axel raised a finger and waved it at Sora, the silver band around his finger gleaming in the light. "You want to start painting so you won't go stir crazy here, correct?"

"Uh-huh…."

"Implying that you'll be here for a _pretty _long time. Meaning that you have finally a-fucking-ccepted that you're not going anywhere. What's up with that?" Axel's lips quirked, noticing the way Sora and Riku both tensed up. Even Roxas's head snapped up at the question, blue eyes suddenly curious.

Sora glanced at Riku who had turned the TV back on after a moment's pause. "You're reading way too much into it." He muttered unconvincingly and turned to Roxas, pointedly looking away from Axel. "You know where I can get some paint?"

Axel snorted. "No one in this _building _would happen to have a paint set, Sora. Believe me." He paused, tapping a finger against his bottom lip. "Actually, scratch that. Namine probably would. But I highly doubt you're ever gonna meet her." He shrugged and hopped off the couch arm, stretching his long arms over his head. "Try another hobby."

Roxas coughed, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. "Actually… I have some…"

Both Riku and Axel turned to stare at him. "What?" Axel finally said, dropping his arms back to his sides.

Roxas scowled, narrowing his eyes defensively. "Is there a problem with that?" he asked, voice dripping ice.

Axel quickly held up his hands in surrender. "No, no! I just never knew that you… were into painting." He paused upon seeing Roxas's glare darken. He quickly waved his hands through the air. "Which is totally acceptable! I'm sure that whatever you paint is very…"

"Emo." Riku snorted.

The blond promptly flipped him the bird before he grabbed Sora's hand, pulling him off the couch and towards the doorway without a backwards glance.

"And just where are you two going?" Riku called, stopping them when they reached the door.

"I'm just taking him to get some paint." Roxas glanced at Sora before directing his attention to the back of Riku's head. "Since I guess I'm the only guy here _emo _enough to have some." He added on sarcastically.

"Oh, great! I'll go with you!" Axel started to say, taking a few steps forward before Roxas cut him off.

"I think I can handle walking to my _own room_ by myself, Axel." Roxas told him coldly.

There was a moment of silence between the two, Roxas practically growling and Axel looking torn. Sora's eyes flickered from the redhead to the blond, feeling increasingly uncomfortable as the silence stretched on. "Um, I really don't need any paint. It's not a big deal or anything…" he broke off when Roxas swiveled his head towards him to give him a warning glare.

"Fine. I'll wait here… with Riku. You'll be coming back as soon as you get the paint, right?" Axel deflated, sitting back down slowly.

Roxas didn't bother answering. He simply rolled his eyes as he tugged Sora along out of the room, through the kitchen and out the front door.

Once they were in the hallway Roxas turned to Sora, looking apologetic as he dropped his hand. "Sorry about that. Axel's been a pain in the ass lately." He shook his head and shoved his hands deep into his pockets, trudging down the hall towards the elevators. "And when I say that I mean more than usual. I really needed to get away from him."

The brunet hurried after Roxas, stumbling to keep up with his brisk pace. "Oh… um… do you want to talk about it…?" Sora asked, eyebrows bunching together in concern.

They reached the elevators and Roxas immediately started to jab the down button impatiently. "Fucking elevators." He grumbled before glancing up at Sora who was watching him nervously. "Axel's just…" he sighed and rolled his shoulders. "I don't even know what his deal is. He's been following me around everywhere ever since…" he trailed off thoughtfully, eyes widening.

"Ever since?" Sora prompted, tilting his head curiously.

"Ever since I got shot and you healed me." Roxas offered Sora a small smile, the shadow across his face lifting. "I never got around to thanking you for that. Who knew you could do something like that. Sounds like it's straight out of some kind of movie."

Sora winced and shrugged just as the elevator chimed. "I don't like thinking about it…" he admitted as the metal elevator doors slowly slid open with a heavy clang.

Roxas frowned and looked like he was about to say something, but he never got the chance. A blur of black suddenly fell out of the elevator and latched itself onto Sora, wailing loudly. "Sora? Sora!"

Said brunet stumbled backward from the sudden weight, mouth gaping in surprise as his arms flailed out to catch his balance. "Demyx!" He exclaimed as he very carefully peeled the tall assassin off of him and held him back at arm's length. It was only then that he noticed the large fishbowl cradled under Demyx's arm, the water nearly sloshing over the rim. "Is… is that a _fish?_"

"Sora! I'm so sorry!" Demyx wiped furiously at his eyes and rocked back on forth on his heels, spilling droplets of water on the carpeted floor. "Is your shoulder better? Did you fix it? I never meant to hit you!"

Roxas wrinkled his nose, making a face. "Don't tell me you're the reason why the elevator always smells funny."

Demyx blinked down at the large goldfish swimming lazily in the bowl. "That's besides the point. Did it leave a scar?" he peered down at Sora anxiously, biting his lower lip.

Sora shook his head. "Not even a scratch is left." He said truthfully, eyeing the fish.

Demyx slumped back, a long sigh escaping his lips. "Oh, that's good. I really wanted to apologize but a lot of stuff has been going on and I've been given a million missions and Roxas got hurt and then Riku got hurt and Vexen has been all over the place trying out some new creepy thing and-"

"Demyx, chill." Roxas interrupted him, holding up a hand to stop the steady stream of words. "You can talk to Sora some other time."

The assassin grinned sheepishly. "Right." He suddenly thrust out his arms, holding the fishbowl out towards Sora. "I got you this as an apology thingy." He looked down fondly at the fish. "He doesn't have a name yet, so you'll have to name him."

"Um, I really…" Apparently Sora didn't have a choice in the matter as the bowl was shoved into his arms and Demyx swiftly darted around him and down the hall, waving his hand happily before he could object. "Bye Sora! Roxas!" And in all but a few minutes Demyx was gone, disappeared around the corner.

Roxas shook his head in disbelief before he glanced at Sora who was staring at the fishbowl with a lost look on his face like he had no idea what just happened. He tapped the brunet on the shoulder, motioning for him to go ahead and step into the elevator before the doors shut.

"Some of you guys… really don't seem like assassins." Sora commented once they were both in the small compartment, clutching the fishbowl awkwardly in his arms.

Roxas pressed the button for his floor before he looked over at Sora leaning comfortably against the wall and gazing down at his new pet.

"Some of us really weren't meant to be."

0o0

"So… what's with you and Roxas?" Riku swept back his long bangs and glanced over at Axel who had sprawled himself out on the couch beside him.

The lanky redhead slouched further down in his seat, kicking his legs up on the coffee table. "Nothing. What's with you and Sora?" He countered, tilting his head back and smirking when he saw Riku scowl.

"Nothing." Riku answered gruffly, crossing his arms over his chest.

Axel shrugged and nodded, drumming his fingers along the arm of the couch. "I heard about what happened."

"What?"

"When Xemnas sent you against Zack." Axel shook his head, lips thinning. "Don't know what the hell that bastard was thinking… and making you bring Sora along…" he trailed off, staring hard at the TV that had some clothing commercial playing. "He's up to something, don't you think?"

Riku hesitated then shrugged. "Maybe."

"I don't like it." Axel reached up to run his fingers through his hair, his green eyes suddenly looking much brighter.

"Our job is just to follow orders." Riku said blandly, crossing his legs at the ankles.

Axel shook his head and snorted. "Bullshit."

Riku sent him a sharp look, the TV being ignored. "What are you trying to say, Axel?"

The redhead took a moment to respond, eyes narrowing as he weighed each word carefully. "This organization used to have a purpose. All of us were nothing, every last one of us. We joined this group so that we could get rid of the type of people who made us like that and get some kind of purpose in life. But… and I guess I've only just realized this… but Roxas was right. Nothing's really changed. We're still nothing and we can't even leave this group 'cause if Xemnas doesn't kill us we're still fucking nobodies out there. _We have nothing_." He clasped his hands into tight fists, looking strangely serious.

Riku was quiet for a moment, studying his friend through his dark, green eyes. "You're just saying that because Roxas got shot." He finally concluded.

Axel let his feet slip off the table and fall to the ground as he straightened in his seat. "Yes! Because it got me thinking. I always thought Roxas would be safest here with us rather than out there on the streets. But he could have _fucking died _if it hadn't been for Sora." Axel leaned towards the edge of the seat and tapped a finger against his temple, looking like he was ready to spring to his feet at any moment. "And, you know, after I heard about Xemnas sending you off to fight Zack and then you getting wounded, I realized that he probably wouldn't have given a shit if either you or Roxas _had_ died." He shook his head and let out a sharp, bitter bark of laughter. "No, because this organization isn't about us. It's just some game of his and who the hell knows where he's going with it."

The silver-haired assassin said nothing in response and simply watched Axel tug a battered cigarette box from his coat pocket and tap one out. As Axel flicked out his lighter he spoke up. "So are you going to try and leave with Roxas?"

Axel tossed the lighter to the coffee table where it clattered against the glass surface. He inhaled slowly, lashes fluttering as he relaxed back into his seat and slumped his shoulders. A cloud of gray flew past his lips as he cocked his head towards Riku, the scowl across his face morphing into a thin smirk. "No, man. I already told you how useless that would be." The long cigarette bobbed up and down as he spoke, wisps of smoke curling up from it.

"So what are you going to do?"

Another long drag. "Change things from the inside."

0o0o0o0o0o0

Joh: That… was supposed to end on a happier note but I guess I failed. Sorry about the utter badness of this chapter. Ugh.

Jessie: I didn't think it sucked! Demyx was in it!

Joh: Yeah, well…. I had a headache when I wrote this… sorry about that. The next chapter will be better…


	14. Roxas

Killing Time: Roxas

Disclaimer: Don't own nothing.

Joh: Stupid FFnet –grumble-

Jessie: -pat pat- There, there.

Joh: So yeah this is a side story thingy about Roxas's background. I thought it might be cool.

Jessie: Yay AkuRoku!

Joh: Indeed.

Warnings: Yaoi, language, violence, lemon

Notes: This IS about Roxas. I know it says Ven but Ven is Roxas in this story. Okay? Just read the whole thing and you'll get it.

Note 2: **I edited this. When I first posted it had a lot of typos and crap near the end since I was starting to fall asleep. So I fixed it up a bit, improve the sloppy writing a little.**

0o0o0o0o0o0

"_Where do Angels live?"_

"_In people, Ventus."_

"_What kind of people?"_

"_People you care about. People who care about you."_

There was something special about fireworks.

Ven loved watching them. He loved the way they would light up the dark sky, illuminating the gray clouds and casting colorful light across the stars. Unfortunately, the only time Ven had ever seen fireworks was from a far off distance, perched upon a rooftop and shivering from the cold.

They set off fireworks once a year during the winter festival at the edge of the city. He had tried going once, to get a better view, but had been chased off thanks to his reputation and dirty clothes.

Ven snorted and shook his head, taking a savage bite of the apple he was holding. All he had ever stolen were a few wallets and a bit of food to survive. It was harmless really.

He scowled at his worn down shoes, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. He trudged his way down the street with his free hand shoved deep in his pant's pocket, the other holing up his half eaten apple.

Someday, Ven would see the firework show up close. Someday, he would stand in the field with the crowd and stare up at the lights exploding right above him in the sky.

He smacked his lips, pressing a hand against his belly as he tossed the apple rind into the street. It growled weakly against his palm and he groaned, tilting his head back. "God damn." He muttered under his breath. He was still hungry.

"Whoa there. That's a pretty awful mouth for a squirt like you."

Ven glanced behind him, visibly tensing for a fight. "What the fuck do you want?" he snarled, hands curling into tiny fists.

The stranger chuckled and shrugged his shoulders, slouching forward. Ven frowned as the boy stepped under the light from the street lamp, realizing that he had never seen this kid before. And he defiantly would have remembered him.

Vivid red hair fell in short spikes around the boy's face, framing equally vivid green eyes. The boy was tall and gangly; the black, straight leg jeans he was wearing only made his legs look longer. Multiple strips of frayed cloth were tied around his wrists, like strange looking bracelets. Ven couldn't tell how old he was but he looked around seventeen, maybe older. Ven immediately didn't trust him.

"I was just wondering what a little kid is doing wandering down these streets at night." The redhead raised his eyebrows, scratching lazily at his neck. "It's not safe."

Ven bristled, grinding his teeth together. "Fuck you." He hissed, spinning around to stomp away.

"Hey," a hand reached out and snatched his shoulder, turning him back around roughly so that he found himself staring into lime green eyes. "You should _never _turn your back on someone. It's dangerous, not to mention rude." He added, an amused smile curling at his lips.

Ven jerked out of his grasp, his teeth bared in a snarl. "What do you want?" He looked the boy up and down, sizing him quickly and wondering if he could take him. The stranger was awfully scrawny but then so was Ven.

"Hey, chill, I don't pick on kids." A cocky grin.

Hot anger flashed through Ven and he found himself starting to raise his fist, wanting nothing more then to knock that stupid smirk of that guy's face. "Then just what the hell do you want, you fucking ugly stupid-"

"I want to know your name." the boy interjected quickly, an annoyed frown starting to form.

Bleu eyes widened for a moment before Ven recovered himself. "Are you some kinda pervert?" he asked bluntly, edging back a few steps.

"No! Well, Demyx had called me one a few times but in all seriousness- hey! Where are you going?" Axel called, looking up from his hands to see that Ven had turned and was halfway down the street already.

Ven spared one look over his shoulder at the boy, not bothering to hide his dislike before he continued walking.

"My name's Axel! A-X-E-L!" The redhead called down the street, cupping his hands around his mouth so that his voice could carry further.

Ven winced and hunched his shoulders, quickening his pace as he turned the corner. He peeked behind him, relieved that the guy hadn't followed him. Axel, huh? A weird name for a weird person.

0o0

Ven squinted his eyes at the stars hanging over him, pretending that there were fireworks showering in that sky. He shifted, ignoring the way the roof tiles under him dug into his back.

"So you're a stargazer, huh?"

Startled, Ven bolted upright and twisted around to glare at whoever had interrupted him. He tilted his head back, scowling when he recognized that shock of red hair. "Oh, God, _you're _back." He groaned. "Have you been stalking me or something?"

Axel chuckled and sat down next to Ven, much to his displeasure. "Don't flatter yourself." He fished a cigarette box from his coat pocket, pulling out a cigarette that looked crinkled at the ends. He inspected it for a moment, turning it over in his fingers before shrugging and sticking it between his lips.

Ven stared at him, his frown growing when Axel showed no signs of lighting the cigarette. "Are you retarded?" he asked bluntly.

Axel arched an eyebrow curiously before grinning. "Oh, this?" the cigarette bobbed as he spoke, threatening to fall from his lips. "I quit smoking last year. This is just like a comfort object thingy."

"Whatever." Ven grumbled, rolling his eyes. "Would you leave already? I got here first."

"This roof don't have your name on it." Axel replied breezily, leaning back and letting his head fall back.

"I swear I'll push you off this roof."

Axel smirked, looking at the blond from the corner of his eyes. "You're kinda fucking violent, huh?"

"Shut up." Ven lay back down, closing his eyes and deciding that he would just ignore the annoying redhead. This was _his _spot and he refused to move just because a certain creepy somebody wouldn't stop talking.

Surprisingly, Axel did shut up. Ven let out a long sigh, enjoying how the cold wind ruffled through his hair. With Axel actually silent he could once again sink into his thoughts, musing over how he could possibly sneak into the next winter festival. Maybe if he stole some nice clothes…

"Are you gonna tell me your name?"

Ven scowled and opened one eye to glare at Axel, only to find that the redhead was suddenly very close to him. He froze, shoulders tensing as he stared into Axel's eyes, wondering how on Earth anyone could posses such a deep green color.

A minute passed before Ven snapped out of it and shoved Axel away, wobbling to his feet. "I don't give my name to perverts." He muttered, turning and heading towards the ladder leaned against the side of the building.

Axel jumped to his feet, almost losing balance as he grabbed Ven's arm. "Wait! Please? I'll tell you my real name!"

Ven raised his eyebrows. "So Axel isn't your real name?"

The older boy shrugged, practically chewing on the end of the cigarette. "It kinda is…" he trailed off, suddenly looking hopeful. "Does this mean that you'll tell me?"

"No." Ven yanked away from him and turned to slide down the ladder. "And don't ever follow me again."

0o0

Ven was not having a good day. Granted, not many of his days were good days, but this certainly had to be the worst.

For one thing, it was raining. Hard. The rain was like a thick curtain; so dense that Ven could barely see the ahead of him. His clothes were plastered to his thin frame, sending violent shudders up and down his spine. Fuck, he had to find shelter fast.

And as if that wasn't bad enough, Ven could distinctly hear several pairs of footsteps behind him over the pounding of rain. He shuffled onwards faster, peeking over his shoulder now and then. He began to twist down more complicated allies, hoping to God that those people weren't _really _following him, they just happened to be going the same way.

His hopes were soon dashed, however, when a meaty hand grabbed his shoulder and spun him around to face several older boys.

"Your that brat who stole my wallet the other day." The boy who had grabbed him snarled, spitting in his face.

Ven wrestled to get free, trying to ignore the fear curling in the pit of his gut. His eyes scanned across the boys wildly, counting in his head. Seven, there were seven of them. Shit.

He slammed his elbow in the stomach of the boy holding him, spinning around to make a quick getaway, but was stopped by several pairs of hands.

Someone punched Ven across the face, knocking him back against the brick wall of the ally. His head was spinning and he could hardly see what was going on, all he knew was that there was something hot and sticky dripping down his face and it wasn't the rain. The wind was suddenly knocked out of him as he crumpled to the cracked asphalt, spitting and gasping for breath. He could taste a whisper of blood from his broken lip, making his stomach turn uneasily.

"Fucking orphans." A voice snarled as a hand grabbed a fistful of his hair, lifting him up.

Ven growled, ripping away from the boy, and losing a good clump of hair in the process. He threw out his leg, sending a savage kick to one of his attackers. The boy fell, grasping his side and cursing loudly.

The boys roared and leapt on Ven, their anger rising to frightening heights. Ven hissed and clawed and bit with the ferocity of a wild animal, but inevitably he was outnumbered and beaten. A strange numbness settled over him as he crashed to the ground, punches and kicks falling down upon him as fast as the raindrops from above.

Their jeering voices faded into the background until all he could hear was the thrum of water hitting the asphalt around him.

0o0

"…gross, look at all that blood. It's so…"

"…think he's dead? He's not moving…"

"…another orphan…"

Ven groaned and stirred, his eyes feeling like weights as he struggled to open them. God, he must look pathetic, lying soaking wet and bloody in some ally. His eyes fluttered back shut as he forced himself to sit up and lean back against the wall. His whole body cried out in protest from the movement, his head swimming in nauseating circles.

"Hey, do you need he-" a man approached him cautiously but froze when Ven's head snapped up, eyes icy blue.

"Leave me the _fuck _alone." Ven hissed, tone low and menacing. He glared at the man who quickly turned and fled. Relieved, he let himself slump back, hands falling limp in his lap.

It was while he was inspecting the bruises coloring his arms that he noticed it was still raining, although very lightly.

Misty droplets clung to his already thoroughly soaked hair, dripping down into his face. Distantly, he wondered if he would die here. He wasn't sure about the extent of his injuries, but certainly if he stayed out here in the rain long enough he would weaken and waste away. It wouldn't be so bad. Maybe he would go to Heaven and see his parents again. Fuck, did he even still believe in Heaven?

Ven groaned and rolled his head, trying to recall the stories his mother would tell him about Heaven. Heaven was –

"_Run away, Ventus. Survive! Don't let them… don't let them… don't let the-"_

- a place where everyone was happy. It was beautiful and perfect and no one was ever lonely. Ven sighed. Maybe he would be allowed to watch fireworks in Heaven.

Such a place couldn't exist.

"Not looking so hot, kid."

Ven opened his eyes, scowling up at whoever had dared to approach him this time.

Axel stood over him, a black umbrella propped against his shoulder. He was staring down at Ven wearing a strange expression. "Who did this to you?"

"Back off." Ven growled, trying hard not to shiver.

Axel said nothing for a moment, only frowning down at him in silence. Finally he seemed to have come to some sort of decision, for he nodded then held out the umbrella.

"Can you hold this?"

Ven looked at the umbrella then at him. "I don't want to."

Axel rolled his eyes and bent down to shove the umbrella into his hands. "Save the stubborn bitch act for another time." He grabbed Ven's hands and forced them around the umbrella. "Just hold it, okay?"

Ven said nothing and Axel took that as a positive. He then turned around and grabbed Ven from under the legs, hefting him up.

Ven yelped, flailing out before wrapping his arms around Axel's neck to keep himself from falling, nearly dropping the umbrella. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" he demanded indignantly.

"Helping you."

"I don't _want _your help." Ven muttered, but found himself sinking against Axel's warm back despite himself. His head drooped until his chin was resting comfortably against Axel's shoulder, eyes threatening to close.

He thought he heard Axel say something about ungrateful brats but he was quickly fading; sleep dragging him back to dreams.

0o0

Ven felt unusually comfortable and warm.

He shifted, eyes fluttering open. There was a ceiling above him, a soft light hanging and casting a glow over the room. Slowly he sat up, inspecting his surroundings suspiciously. The room was remarkably plain but held hints of luxury. Tall windows stood on one side of the room, thin streams of light escaping through the crack in the heavy blue curtains. A wardrobe was propped in one corner along with a wood desk. A coat was thrown over the back of the chair, water dripping from the sleeves.

That's when he noticed the plate of food lying on the table.

Without thinking Ven leapt from the bed, ignoring the ache throughout his body, and flung himself at the platter of food, shoveling it into his mouth hungrily. Hw couldn't remember the last time he had actually eaten a meal like this.

"I guess you were hungry."

Ven paused, dropping the chicken leg he had been ripping into. "Where am I?" he wiped his mouth and scowled.

"Geez, you really are ungrateful." Axel sighed and pulled his hair back in a messy ponytail, narrowing his eyes at Ven. "You should be thanking me. Whoever beat you up really did a number on you."

Ven glanced at the bandages around his arms and frowned. "I was outnumbered." He grumbled defensively. He pulled the chair out and sat down, crossing his legs. "So what? You trying to get me to repay you or something?"

Axel was silent.

The blond laughed and cocked his head, lips curling into a bitter smirk. "I don't have any money to give you. But that's not what you're after is it?"

Axel stared at him then grinned, resting a hand on the arm of the chair and leaning forward so that their noses were just touching. "I just want to know your name."

Blue eyes widened in surprise before narrowing in disbelief. "Bullshit."

"I'm serious." Axel chuckled and pulled back.

Ven studied him carefully before casting another glance around the room. "Is this where you live?"

"It's just a hotel." Axel waved a hand dismissively. "What's your name?" he repeated, not to be distracted.

The blond boy bit his lips, mind racing. Axel _had _saved him and given him food. Whether Ven liked it or not, he owed this guy. "Ven."

Axel blinked. "Just Ven?"

"I don't like my full name." he sighed and ran his hand through his spiky hair.

Axel nodded, pushing off from the desk and moving across the room to the mini-bar. "Understandable. So who beat you up?"

Ven shrugged, picking up the chicken leg again. "Just some random assholes. Fucking cowards." He added on in a lower tone.

Axel pulled out a water bottle and tossed it to Ven. "Does this happen a lot?" he almost sounded concerned.

Ven shrugged as he caught the water bottle. "I'm usually able to get away." He opened the bottle and drank eagerly from it, spilling a bit down his shirt.

"What happened to your parents?"

Ven froze before he slammed the water bottle down on the desk, glaring furiously at the redhead. "None of your fucking business." He shoved the empty plate away from him and crossed his arms. "What's with all the questions?"

"I just want to know more about you." Axel sighed, taking a seat on the edge of the bed. "You don't have to talk about your parents if you don't want to. Tell me something else about yourself."

"Why should I?" Ven grumbled.

"You don't have to."

Ven blinked then sighed, slumping in his seat as he picked at the bandage around his left arm. "I want to see fireworks." He admitted, eyes downcast.

Axel frowned, looking confused. "Huh?"

"Fireworks. I've never seen them up close." Ven shrugged then looked up to glare at Axel, daring him to laugh, to mock him.

But he didn't. Axel just grinned and tilted his head, green eyes flashing. "Fireworks, huh? Well…"

0o0

Ven tossed back his head, eyes squeezing shut as a moan slipped past his swollen lips. Axel's long fingers were skimming down his sides, brushing against his skin teasingly.

How had this happened? One minute they had been talking and the next thing Ven knew was that they were both in bed moaning and moving against eachother. It was those eyes. Such green eyes…

"_God_." Ven groaned out as Axel ground their hips together, panting against his ear.

He tangled his fingers in Axel's hair, yanking the tie out so that the spiky locks fell free. Discarded clothes lay scattered along the floor, completely forgotten by the two in the bed.

Axel trailed hot kisses down Ven's lean chest, licking at nipping playfully. "You fucking pervert." Ven breathed, face flushed a light pink.

Axel just grinned, turning Ven around on his stomach so that he could thrust deeper. He snacked a hand around to fist Ven's arousal, stroking him roughly in time with his thrusts.

"I'll show you fireworks, kid." He hissed in Ven's ear, breath hot against his skin. "Best fireworks you'll ever see."

Ven could only moan in response and arch his body to meet the redhead's deep thrusts. There was so much skin and not enough air and the bruises along his body were singing out painfully but he didn't care. He was so close… he just… he needed a little more…

With a soft cry he came, his whole body tensing and writing wildly against Axel's. And Axel was right. He was _seeing fireworks. _Colors exploded across his sight as heat flooded across and down his body, his whole mind reeling in pleasure.

He was barely aware of Axel groaning against his shoulder as he came, a sticky warmth dripping down his legs.

As the exploding lights faded and Axel pulled out of him, Ven rolled over onto his side to stare at him. Axel was breathing heavily, his chest rising and falling quickly, strands of red hair clinging to his face. He turned his head and smirked lazily, green eyes narrowing fondly.

"God, I don't know anything about you." Ven murmured.

"I like Chinese food. I like the game Twsiter. I'm a cat person." His smile faltered for a moment. "I don't have a family, like you."

Ven was silent as he watched Axel reach over to the nightstand and grab his cigarette pack. Again, he pulled out a cigarette and brought it to his lips, but didn't light it. "I like fireworks too."

Ven smiled.

0o0

It had been two weeks and still, Ven couldn't put it out of his mind. It had been a one-night stand for God's sake. So why couldn't he just let it go? Images of Axel's clouded eyes, his smooth chest, his voice…

Ven cursed, kicking at a crushed soup can lying on the sidewalk. He hadn't even caught a glimpse of Axel since that day. Probably never would again.

"Hey girlie!"

The blond winced and ignored the catcall, walking faster. Damn perverts were everywhere.

"Come on, girlie, I'm talking to you." A tall man stumbled over to him, grinning and reeking of beer.

"Don't touch me." Ven warned him, slapping the man's hand away as he quickly glanced up and down the street.

It was getting late but there were still a few people out. He was probably safe –

That thought was knocked out of him, however, when the man shoved him against a lamp post, leering hungrily. "How much?"

Ven wondered disgustedly if the man even knew he was a boy. He looked too drunk to even care. "I _said _don't touch me!" Ven ground his teeth together, pulled back a fist and punched the drunken man across the face. Blood poured out from the man's nose as he wheeled back, cursing loudly.

"You little whore!" he roared, grabbing Ven and ripping at his shirt. Ven flinched and closed his eyes turning away when suddenly–

_His mother was shaking him, tears streaming down her cheeks. "You've got to live…Ventus… don't let them catch you. Run away." She whispered, her nails digging into his tiny shoulders._

_There was a horrible screaming and pounding on the floor below them and Ven knew that the bad people were coming. _

"_Live Ventus. Run." There was another scream and a gun went off and –_

"That's enough." A hand reached out and clutched the man's wrist, squeezing down painfully.

Ven turned, eyes wide. "Axel." He breathed.

The redhead was glaring at the man, eyes burning a darker green than usual. "Back off."

The man stared at him, eyes unfocused, before horror started to enter his expression. "You're…"

"From the Organization. Yeah." He pressed down harder on the man's wrist, grinding the bone between his fingers before shoving him away. "Get lost."

Axel didn't need to repeat himself. The man cast one last terrified look at him before turning tail and running, blood running down his face.

"I had that under control." Ven grumbled, not caring if he sounded petulant. "What's this about an organization?"

Axel didn't answer right away. He fumbled for his cigarette and brought it to his lips. His fingers were trembling. He held it there for a moment before letting his hands fall back to his sides as a thin curl of smoke rose from the cigarette.

Ven frowned, glancing down at Axel's hands. How had he lit that without a match…?

"I thought you quit smoking."

"Fuck, has this happened before?" Axel turned, ignoring his question, eyes blazing.

Ven shrugged uneasily. "It's not uncommon. A lot of street kids like me resort to selling themselves so…"

"Shit." Axel cursed, exhaling a dark cloud of smoke. He closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again and looking at Ven. His eyes were scared… how strange.

0o0

Once again they were in a hotel with the scent of sex and sweat lingering in the air. It had been different this time though. It had been slower, gentler. Ven could almost imagine that this was what it felt like to make love, not just screw.

Now, Axel lay in the bed sheets staring up at the ceiling with a strangely thoughtful look. "You like me, right?"

"I guess."

Axel turned to meet Ven's eyes. "What do you think about living with me?"

Ven sat up, eyes wide. "Are you serious? We hardly know each other though!"

"We could get to know each other." A strange tone of desperation entered his voice. "You wouldn't have to ever worry about being cold or hungry again. You'd have a home again."

Ven stared down at the crumpled sheets. Not like he had anything to lose. "Aren't you part of some kind of gang?"

"Kind of. You'd be accepted. It's a place for people like us." Axel let out a long breath.

Ven was silent for a long moment. "Why?" his voice sounded softer than usual.

Axel sat up as well, pulling the blond close against him. "Why not?" he whispered into his hair.

"What would I have to do to join this…gang thing then?" Ven finally asked.

"Nothing. Just lose your name and take on a new one instead." Axel murmured softly, running his fingers through Ven's hair.

Ven felt a pang deep within him. His name was all he had left! He couldn't just discard it…but…

Honestly, if he continued living on the streets he probably wouldn't survive for much longer…

"_Live…Ventus…"_

"What would my new name be?" Ven closed his eyes, leaning against Axel's chest. He could hear the faint drum of his heart.

"Roxas." Axel pressed light kisses down his neck, whispering the name against his skin. "My Roxas."

"Roxas…" the blond repeated quietly. "Okay… just tell me what your real name was."

Axel sighed. "Akuseru."

Roxas leaned up to press a gentle, sad kiss to Axel's lips. "I like that name. Reminds me of Angels."

"You're such a fucking sap."

"Shut up."

The two nobodies shared another kiss.

0o0o0o0o0o0

Joh: Hopefully this gives some info on Roxas. I left some things unanswered. Sorry it was a little rushed. I wanted to upload this today and my battery was running low.

Jessie: Oh the angst!

Joh: Yes!


	15. Chapter 14

Killing Time

Disclaimer: Don't own ANYTHING ARGH

Jessie: That was… an intense disclaimer my dear.

Joh: I'm just an intense person.

Jessie: Apparently.

Joh: LOL I don't know what I'm writing for this chapter. :D

Jessie: …

Warnings: Yaoi, plot, language

0o0o0o0

Riku was starting to think he was going crazy. It began with little things, little things he could easily brush off and forget about. Things that really could mean anything.

Like smiling when he watched Sora play with his new pet fish. Or sometimes waking up a bit earlier than usual so that he could see Sora wrapped around his pillow, hugging it to him like it was a giant teddy bear. They were small, easy to not think about. But then things started getting bigger.

Sometimes, when Sora would sit down next to Riku on the couch their arms would brush and for some reason that felt like a bid deal.

Other times Sora would sleep facing Riku and, while he used to never even think about that, it became a detail he couldn't put out of his mind. And to make things worse Riku changed his sleeping habits and was starting to fall asleep facing Sora as well.

"Do you like it? Riku?"

The silver-haired assassin jerked his head up as he was snapped out of his thoughts and looked over the top of his book to gaze at Sora questioningly. The brunet was smiling widely as he held up the small canvas he had been painting on for the last week, looking proud of his work. Riku squinted his eyes at the slop of colors mixed together, struggling to make out what it was supposed to be. "Oh… it's very… colorful and…" he trailed off as he searched for an appropriate word.

"It's Ginger!" Sora declared, tilting his head to look at the painting.

Riku raised an eyebrow. "Ginger?" he repeated slowly.

"My pet fish." Sora explained, glancing over at the fishbowl sitting on top of the dresser. "I couldn't tell if it was a girl or a boy so I named it Ginger. That's a unisex name, right?"

"Not really…"

Sora pouted his lips and set the painting aside, leaning it carefully against the side of the bed before leaping on the mattress and sprawling himself out next to Riku. The assassin stiffened suddenly when Sora leaned over to poke his arm. "You don't like the name?"

"It's fine." Riku rolled his eyes and returned his attention to his book, forcing himself to relax as he skimmed his eyes down the page.

"You don't." Sora accused before rolling over onto his stomach and burying his face in the pillow. When Riku didn't reply the brunet glanced up and tugged at his sleeve. "No, really. Do you think it's a weird name?"

Riku tilted his head to meet Sora's gaze as he once again set his book down on his chest. "I think-" As their eyes locked Riku's breath suddenly hitched, his answer dying on his lips. Frozen in place, Riku was suddenly all too aware of how close Sora was, so close that he could see the slightly darker hues of blue in his eyes and the highlights in his hair.

"Riku?"

The assassin swallowed, gaze drifting down to Sora's lips as he spoke, taking note of the way they moved when Sora spoke. Hastily, he shook his head and sat up, swinging his feet over the side of the bed and knocking his book to the floor. "I forgot, I'm supposed to meet up with Axel." He muttered before getting to his feet and hurrying to the door.

"You're leaving?" Sora called after him as he sat up, eyebrows drawn.

"I'll be back later." Riku said over his shoulder before pausing in the doorway, his hand resting on the frame. "And, no, you can't go hang out with Roxas."

"Why not?" The brunet protested, lips puckering as he slid off the bed.

Riku shrugged and let his hand slip from the doorframe as he padded into the living room. "Because I said so."

Sora huffed and followed him into the next room to watch him with crossed arms. "But it's so boring here."

"Isn't that what you have the paint stuff for?" Riku wondered, a smirk curling at his lips as he grabbed his coat that was slung over the end of the couch and shrugged it on. "And you have Ginger to keep you company."

"But Roxas…"

"Roxas can see you another time." Riku said firmly, moving into the kitchen and grabbing his keys.

Sora groaned and followed him into the kitchen, standing by the table and frowning, dejected. "Fine…"

Riku glanced at him, a small smile twitching at his lips, before he propped open the door and slipped out into the hallway.

0o0

"Listen, man, I don't have time to listen to your love life woes." Axel moaned, sinking lower into his couch as he stared up at Riku with his eyebrows furrowed together.

Riku wrinkled his nose as he took a seat on the edge of the coffee table in front of Axel, crossing his legs at the ankles. "I never said anything about my _love life_." Riku spat out the word disdainfully and crossed his arms sternly over his chest.

Axel just rolled his eyes and fished around the couch for the remote control, lifting the cushions to search for it. "Whatever you say…. Where the fuck is the remote?" he tossed the cushion across the room, scowling when it hit the wall with a muffled thump and fell to the floor.

Riku watched him silently for a moment, eyebrows rising before he spoke. "What the hell is wrong with you today?"

Axel tilted his head back as a sigh rushed past his lips. "Roxas is meeting with Namine today." He said quietly, eyes fixed on the ceiling.

"Oh…so? They're friends. What's weird about that?" Riku asked slowly, leaning forward and resting his arms on his knees.

Axel sighed and shook his head, sticking his hand into the crack of the couch. "Xemnas _asked _Roxas to see her today. I mean…. You don't think he asked Namine to….you know…." The redhead trailed off, arm frozen in place.

Riku took a long moment to reply. "I don't see why he would… I bet it was just that Namine was asking to see Roxas." Riku reassured him, reaching out to awkwardly pat his friend on the back. "Don't stress about it."

"How can I not? The only time Xemnas sends people to Namine is when he wants an attitude change or when they find out too many of his god damned secrets." Axel said bitterly before pulling his arm out, remote in hand. "Found it."

"Really, don't worry. Xemnas has no reason to wipe Roxas."

Axel shrugged a little as he switched on the TV, his other hand patting his pocket in search of his cigarettes. "You're right. Yeah." His voice flat, unconvinced.

They both fell into silence, watching the news channel that the TV was set on, both of them not really seeing it.

"You know what Roxas told me once?" Axel said suddenly, green eyes swiveling over to gaze at Riku. He pulled out one battered cigarette, the thin stick nearly broken in half.

"…Stop talking like he's on his death bed." Riku sighed as he got up and moved to sit down next to him.

The redhead placed the smoke between his lips, nibbling on the end, tapping it with his thumb. "Yeah. Yeah, you're right. I just need to… watch TV or something." He muttered, flicking the end of the cigarette.

Riku nodded and glanced up at the screen, a frown turning his lips as he watched a newscaster broadcast the latest report of a body being found. The screen flashed to the scene, showing the small, twisted body, burned and mutilated beyond recognition. "This has got to be the third one this…week…" Axel began to mutter, trailing off when the image changed again to what looked like an old photo of a teenage boy. A very familiar…

"Sora." Riku breathed as he stood up slowly, eyes squinting at the screen as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing. He took a step forward, studying the zoomed in picture of his hostage. The boy was smiling sheepishly into the camera, blue eyes peering through his long brown bangs almost shyly. There was no mistaking it, it was Sora.

Numbly, Riku watched as the screen flashed back to the scene where the body had been found, the body half hidden behind the crowd of reporters and policemen.

Riku spun around to face Axel, eyes widening. "Don't tell me _this _is what Vexen has been working on for the past month."

Axel stared up at the silver-haired assassin, mouth moving soundlessly for a moment while he slowly shook his head, the thin curl of smoke curling up around his eyes. "Fuck. That's why he wasn't around when Roxas got shot." He growled and tossed the cigarette to the coffee table, stubbing it out with the heel of his boot.

"Shit. _Shit._" Riku swore, grabbing his coat and pulling it on as he stumbled across the room to the door. "I should've fucking _known_."

"Hey, hey! What are you getting so worked up for?" Axel stood up to follow him, eyebrows drawn together.

Riku ground his teeth together and grabbed Axel by the arm, shaking him as he hissed, "Don't you fucking get it?! Sora is _dead _to the outside world. He's stuck here! He..." Riku broke off and hung his head, pale hair spilling forward. "I didn't think Xemnas would… Sora doesn't belong here." He said after a moment, fingers slipping away from Axel to fall limply by his sides.

Axel stared at him, green eyes wide as he watched the assassin unravel.

0o0

"Sora!" Riku called as he glanced into the bedroom, relieved to find that Sora hadn't been watching the news. The young boy was standing by the dresser watching his fish and drawing patterns across the glass bowl with his index finger. Riku felt a pang in his chest as he watched Sora mummer something to the fish, arching forward on his tiptoes. He didn't know. He had no clue that his family, friends, everyone, believed him as dead. He had no idea that a funeral would be held for him, the casket containing the body of a stranger.

The brunet glanced up, head tilting curiously to the side as he watched Riku stagger into the room. He turned slightly to fully face Riku, one hand resting on the rim of the fishbowl. "That was quick." He remarked cheerfully, looking back down at the orange fish swimming in lazy circles. "I was just feeding Ginger. I know you said not to overfeed it but it looked hungry and-"

He broke off when suddenly strong arms wrapped around him, pulling him back against a firm chest. Sora flushed, going rigid, as he slowly looked up at Riku who's face was hidden by his long bangs. "Um…Riku?" he asked slowly, shifting awkwardly in the tight embrace. "Is something…" he trailed off as Riku began to pull back slightly, words catching in his throat as he took in Riku's expression.

Riku cupped his face, a million thoughts going through his head as he stared into Sora's wide eyes. Since Sora had first been kidnapped and brought to this place it had been like watching a clock go backwards. Riku wasn't sure why he had been ordered to kidnap Sora, but he had been sure it was only going to be a temporary thing. Sora was too bright, too soft to be brought into his world.

But as days went by it became more and more apparent that Sora's clock was slowing…just like Riku's…

Riku moved forward, chest hollow, and caught a glimpse of Sora's eyes fluttering shut in anticipation before his own closed. He could feel Sora's breath against his lips, a soft breeze, sweet and nervous.

_slowing…_

And then their lips were sealed together in something that wasn't quite a kiss. It was too desperate, too fast and sad to be considered a real kiss. Sora was quiet and motionless, fingers resting at Riku's hips as he hesitantly tilted his head back, allowing Riku to deepen the thing that was almost a kiss.

_Slowing…until the clock finally stopped moving._

0o0o0o0o0

Joh: This really was supposed to be longer but eh, figured that was a good stopping point. Sorry that this was badly written and short.

Jessie: Hm, it was quite dramatic, dear.

Joh: I know right? Oh, and just to clear things up, Vexen substituted a body and worked on it so that it would be identified as Sora's. So that people would think he died. Just in case no one got that.

Jessie: Oh Vexen is a clever one.

Joh: Indeed.


	16. Chapter 15

Killing Time

Disclaimer: Don't own. Tired.

Jessie: I see you've come up with yet another witty disclaimer dear.

Joh: Why yes I have.

Warnings: Yaoi, language, angst maybe I'm hungry

Note: so many reviews last chapter. You guys make me happy.

0o0o0o0o0o0

"Is it just me or are things getting really, really weird?"

Zexion glanced up from the thick book he was reading to spare Demyx a flat look. "In your opinion, everything is weird." He pointed out as he impatiently brushed his long, sweeping bangs out of his face.

The blond assassin pouted and spun the office chair around in circles, bringing his legs up against his chest so that he could spin faster.

"Stop that, Demyx. You'll break it. Again."

With a sigh, Demyx reluctantly grabbed the edge of Zexion's cluttered desk and stopped, heaving a heavy sigh. "Aw, you're no fun." He fell silent for a moment as he watched the smaller assassin wet his finger and turn a thin page slowly. "You're not even going to ask what I meant by that?" Demyx finally whined, voice rising inquisitively.

Zexion read several more sentences before he shut the book with a slam and turned around to face him. "Whatever did you mean," he asked in a bored tone, leaning forward to prop his chin up in his hand.

Demyx beamed and slid his feet back to the floor so that he could inch the chair closer. "You know, you really should get better lighting in here, Zexy. You'll go blind reading in the dark like this."

Zexion sighed. "You changed the topic."

Demyx blinked then grinned, nodding enthusiastically. "Oh, right! I mean things have been weirder than usual here, right? Even Luxord's noticed it. I mean, first there was the Roxas thing and then the Riku thing and…" Demyx trailed off thoughtfully, tilting his head to the side. "And the whole Sora thing is pretty weird too. It's been...like 2 months or something since Riku first brought him here." Demyx concluded, ticking the days off on his fingers.

Zexion simply shrugged but Demyx didn't seem perturbed by his lack of response and continued animatedly. "Ever since Sora came things have been weird." He pursed his lips and blinked several times before grinning and peering up at Zexion slyly.

"What?" Zexion arched a thin eyebrow when several moments passed before Demyx said anything.

"I bet I know why Xemnas had Riku bring Sora over." Demyx said in a singsong voice as he leaned back in the chair.

Zexion stared at Demyx before sighing and turning away to rummage through a stack of books, fingers drifting across the spines thoughtfully. "That so."

"At least try and sound surprised." Demyx whined, his bottom lip jutting out.

The pale man rolled his eyes and pulled out a book to let it rest in his lap as he flipped through it. "Oh. Wow. Really."

Demyx crossed his arms over his chest and frowned. "….That was sarcasm wasn't it?"

"Of course not."

Demyx sighed and hopped off the chair, hands planted on his hips. "Be that way. See if _I _tell you." He huffed, steering through the stacks of books to reach the apartment's door.

Zexion lifted his head up to watch him leave, a small, rare smile playing at his lips before his expression suddenly changed. His eyes narrowed thoughtfully as he quickly got to his feet, knocking the book right out of his lap. "Wait." He caught Demyx by the elbow, head tilted up slightly to look into the taller man's eyes. "Don't go around telling anyone what you might know." He warned him quietly.

Demyx's blue orbs widened slightly before he nodded slowly and shifted his eyes down to the pale hand clasped around his wrist.

Zexion followed his gaze and hastily let go of his hand, stuffing his own in his pocket as he turned away. "Whether it's true or not." He added on in a mutter.

0o0

Sora frowned and squinted his eyes as he watched Ginger swim slowly around the bowl. He wondered distantly if maybe he should buy the fish a larger bowl since he remembered that Tidus's pet goldfish had grown to be quite large.

Idly he brushed his fingers across his lips and rolled over onto his side, feet kicking the pillows off the rumple bed. His traced his bottom lip then frowned and closed his eyes, trying to recall the strange feeling of Riku's lips against his. It was different from the time when Riku had gotten drunk but…still…

Sora sighed and buried his face in the white sheets, inhaling the fresh smell that clung to them. He wasn't sure _why _Riku had suddenly kissed him like that, but it had felt like something was wrong. Riku had kept apologizing but…what for…? He hadn't done anything wrong, at least nothing Sora remembered.

And the look in Riku's eyes when he had pulled back, an emotion that Sora couldn't quite put his finger on had been playing across the assassin's face, pinching his eyebrows together and drawing his lips into a thin line.

Sighing, he slid off of the bed and padded his way into the living room. "Riku?" he called out hesitantly, pausing in the doorway once he spotted Riku slouched against the cushions of the sofa, staring blankly at the black screen of the television.

Riku's eyes slowly swiveled over to look at him before he returned his attention to the empty screen, the remote control held loosely in his hand.

Sora licked his lips nervously and shifted his weight from one foot to the other, wondering if he should say something or just keep silent.

But before Sora could decide Riku reached out a hand, silently beckoning him over. The brunet approached him slowly and took a seat at the edge of the couch. Riku fiddled with the remote control for a few more seconds before he tossed it aside and leaned back, regarding Sora through one hazy, green eye. "What was your life like?"

Sora blinked. "…What?"

Riku sighed and shook his head. "Before you came here. Tell me what it was like." He said quietly, turning his head away from Sora so that his expression was hidden.

Sora stared at the back of his head, mouth gaping wide. He took in Riku's tensed shoulders and the stiff way he held his head. He was serious. Sora looked down at his clasped hands then shifted his gaze to the fabric of the couch, studying it intently as he tried to think of a way to start. "Pretty normal, I guess." He began awkwardly and cleared his throat when Riku gave no sign that he had heard him.

The assassin nodded his head slowly after a long moment and tilted his head to look at Sora with an unreadable expression.

Sora continued. "I did okay in school. My parents would get on my case a lot about keeping my grades up." He smiled fondly and shifted slightly in his seat. "My friend Wakka was pretty smart. Sometimes he would help me out."

"Would he," Riku murmured with another tip of his head.

Sora nodded and smiled, his eyes far away. "Yeah. Sometimes, after school, Wakka, Tidus, and me would all hang out and Wakka would make us do our homework but afterwards we would all play basketball together." He fell silent, the smile slowly fading from his lips.

Riku watched his expression fall flat and sighed, reaching out to wrap his arm around Sora's shoulders and pull him close.

Sora stiffened in response, blue eyes widening as he looked up questioningly at Riku. "Are you gonna kiss me again?"

Riku blinked then shook his head, a strained smile forming. "I won't do that again unless you want me to." He sighed heavily and looked away to glance out the window at the clear sky.

"Oh," was all Sora could say as leaned his head against Riku's shoulder. It was odd, but Riku's shoulder was somehow comforting, warm. Riku's thumb was tracing small circles over his upper arm, a soothing movement that soon had Sora's head nodding.

"Tell me more about your family." He heard Riku whisper somewhere by his ear.

The brunet yawned. "My mom likes to watch movies every Sunday. She's the type to cry at almost any sad scene in a movie. And my dad sometimes teased her about it. She would tell him that it's good to be emotional." Sora closed his eyes and unconsciously curled closer to Riku. He wondered distantly if he was rambling. Either way, Riku didn't seem to mind. "My dad used to work a lot on the computer when I was little. I would sit in the study and listen to him typing 'cuase I liked the sound…"

"That sounds nice."

"It was." Sora agreed.

0o0

It wasn't fair, Tidus thought to himself as he turned his head up to stare into a perfectly clear, sunny sky. It should be raining or snowing or at least a little gray. But it shouldn't be so cheerful like this.

Tidus frowned at the cloudless sky before turning his attention back to the small grave. The black depth seemed almost endless and Tidus speculated if he threw a rock in there if it would ever hit the bottom.

The priest was talking but he was hardly listening. The old man's words flew past him, meaningless to him as he chose to listen to the soft sound of tears falling and the far off noise of birds singing in the trees shadowing the graveyard. Sora's parents stood by the gravestone, cheeks wet. A group of relatives, some of whom Tidus hadn't even met before, stood by them. Most of them were crying, but a few, like Tidus, seemed simply in shock, staring at the casket as if trying to determine if it was real or not.

Tidus cast his gaze around the small gathering, heart growing heavier at each grim face. Wakka stood by his side dressed in a crisp, dark suit. If it had been any other situation Tidus might have made fun of how funny Wakka looked in a suit, but at that moment it had barely even registered what his friend was wearing. He was too busy trying to make sense of the fact that Sora's name was engraved on the tombstone. Not for the first time, he wondered why anyone would have wanted to kill Sora.

Kill Sora.

It sounded so unreal.

Why did it have to be Sora, of all people? He bit his lip, fingers tugging on the long sleeves of his black suit. He stared at the polished coffin, eyes tracing over the smooth edges. Sora was the nice guy; he had always been the nice guy. He always stood up for people, always protected his friends, always had a smile…

Why Sora? Tidus felt his eyes burn hot and quickly lowered his head, blinking rapidly. He chocked back the lump in his throat but couldn't stop the tears from leaking down his cheeks. By his side, he felt Wakka's arm tremble.

As the coffin was lowered into the grave, Tidus thought once again that it was unfair. Really unfair.

It should have at least rained.

0o0o0o0o0o0

Joh: Sorry this is really really really short. Next one will be longer, I promise! This was a kinda...transistion chapter? I have a lot of those...heh. But I've been busy and I barely scrapped this chapter together in between all the stuff I've been doing. Now that exams are over and I'm mostly done with my cosplays I can spend more time on fanfiction. :D

Jessie: heh Otakon

Joh: Double heh.


	17. Chapter 16

Killing Time

Disclaimer: Don't own. I'm so witty.

Joh: Soo this took awhile since I had no idea what to write. Still don't but what the hell.

Jessie: Nice, Joh, nice.

Joh: I know, right?

Warnings: Plot

0o0o0o0o0

Apparently, with Roxas visiting Namine so often Axel didn't have much to do but hang out in Riku's apartment.

"This is the third time this week," he whined, turning his head to send Sora a miserable look.

The brunet spared him a brief glance before returning his attention to the pot of soup he was boiling over the stove, carefully stirring the contents. "So… is that why you're here?" he asked slowly.

Axel sighed and turned to put his head down on the kitchen table. "Actually, Riku _asked _me to keep you company. You telling me you don't appreciate it?" He grinned suddenly and looked around the tidy kitchen, smile morphing into a smirk. "Don't you hate how clean Riku keeps this place? Drives me crazy."

Sora shrugged and took a careful sip of his soup.

The redhead watched him for several more minutes before he propped his chin up in his palm and chuckled. "You're pretty at home here. Who would've thought?" He arched an eyebrow and tapped a finger against the very corner of his mouth.

That got a response. Sora turned away from the stove to frown at Axel and sigh. "What? You think I should be sitting in a corner crying and throwing a tantrum? Or planning a great escape plan using only kitchen utensils to dig my way out of here?" Sora huffed and shrugged his shoulders as he turned the burner off.

Axel blinked at Sora's tone. "It would make sense if you were doing something like that. Not like it would be constructive, but at least it would make sense."

Sora stood on his tiptoes to pull a bowl from the cupboard before looking over at Axel with a careful expression. "You mean that's the normal thing to do?" he asked, and when Axel nodded he laughed. "I figured that doing either of those things would be a waste of my time, something I don't think I can spare." He started pouring the soup and glanced up at the ceiling thoughtfully, ignoring the fact that he was splattering droplets of chowder across the counter.

"I guess I figured out a little whiles ago that the best thing I can do in this situation is to adapt as best I can until…" he trailed off into silence then shrugged once more.

Axel dropped his hand and arched his eyebrows. "Adapt, huh? Not many people would be able to do that, you know. Hell, even Roxy had trouble adjusting to life in the Organization." He frowned as the humor left his face, leaving him looking strangely grim.

Sora carried the bowl of soup over to the table and sat down across from Axel. He studied Axel's expression before smiling softly, eyes downcast. "You're worried about him," he said simply. "You guys… you aren't bad people, not like I thought."

Axel looked up and grinned at that. "Good to know."

Sora lifted the bowl to his lips and took a careful sip, wincing when the hot broth burned his tongue. Axel watched silently as Sora set the bowl back down to wait for it to cool. "The only thing I really can't stand…" The brunet trailed off and glanced out the rain painted window with a heavy sigh. "It feels like ages since I was last outside."

"We took you shopping." Axel reminded him, pulling the bowl towards him slowly. "And you went out with Riku that one time…"

Sora allowed a small smile as he turned back to watch Axel lift the bowl and take a greedy sip of his soup. "Yeah but… " He shrugged. True, he had actually gone outside when Riku had taken him on that mission, but the horror of all that happened then erased any pleasure he might have gotten out of that brief taste of freedom.

"That's the spirit, kid," Axel crowed, slapping the bowl down and pushing it back towards Sora. "God, you're optimistic. You should tell Riku. He might be able to set something up."

Sora stared into the chowder and squinted his eyes. "You think so?"

"Sure." Axel shrugged and grinned slyly, leaning forward towards him. "After all, like you said, we aren't bad people."

The brunet stared at him with wide eyes before a smile slowly slid across his face. He turned his face back down to contemplate his soup once more. Axel had a point. At this point, Sora was sure that if he talked to Riku the assassin would find a way for him to enjoy the sunlight but…

His smile faded into a frown as he recalled the strange kiss they had shared only a few days ago. They both acted like it had never happened but Sora could feel it hovering between them sometimes, heavy and insistent. This wasn't like the time Riku had gotten drunk and came onto him. This time it was intentional, real, and Sora couldn't pass it off as a simple incident.

Sora blinked as he felt Axel's gaze on him and hastily started sipping at his soup. "So…how's Roxas? I haven't seen much of him lately," Sora said with a thoughtful frown once he had swallowed his mouthful of soup.

Axel's expression soured at the reminder and slouched down into his seat, wearing a sulky expression. "He's being pissy. More so than usual, I mean," Axel added after a short pause.

Sora blinked. "What did you do?" he asked curiously.

Green eyes narrowed. "What makes you think _I _did anything? Roxas has regular PMS."

"Seventy percent of the time that PMS is caused by you," Sora mused, leaning back in his seat comfortably.

Axel sighed and studied him carefully before rolling his shoulders and tilting his chair back on its hind legs. "He's probably ticked that I've been talking with Marluxia and Larxene so much. He hates them."

"As much as Riku?"

"Probably more than Riku."

Sora gaped as his eyebrows shot up, hardly daring to believe that. "But… but why? What's wrong with them?" he wondered.

Axel rolled his eyes up to the ceiling and chuckled under his breath. "There's probably a shit load of reasons why. Let's see… Marluxia is a right bitch, actually, they both are. You probably don't think so but you barely got a taste of Marluxia. Trust me, he's snarky. You haven't met Larxene and I hope for your sake you never do. She's psychotic, seriously." He winced and rubbed his thigh, muttering something under his breath.

The brunet bit his lip and nodded slowly, trying to imagine this frightening woman. "But… why are you talking to them so much if they're so horrible?"

Axel's eyes flashed before he smiled easily and tapped a finger against his chin. "Just looking for some new insights."

Sora stared at the redhead, trying to fathom the strange look that had crossed Axel's features but soon shrugged it off. Axel was a strange person so he shouldn't really question him.

0o0

"I trust you got rid of Zack's body properly?"

Riku looked up slowly, dragging his gaze across the smooth wood of the desk to Xemnas's vivid, amber eyes. "Of course I did," he replied, a bit coldly. He narrowed his eyes and lifted a hand to sweep back his long bangs. "I always do."

Xemnas nodded slowly and leaned forward to rest his chin across his folded fingers. "Yes, but it is not often you get wounded," he remarked casually, ignoring the scowl he got in response.

Riku paused then leaned back in his seat and crossed his legs. "Zack was a skilled fighter," he admitted flatly.

Xemnas met his gaze and smirked. "Thankful that Sora was there?"

Riku started to shrug but froze, eyes widening a fraction as his calm manner slipped briefly. He opened his mouth to speak then quickly shut it again, jaw tightening. "Yes. I was."

The older man chuckled and glanced at the empty fireplace. "Speaking of Sora… don't you think it is about time he gets introduced to the others?"

It took Riku a full minute to compose himself. "For what purpose?" he asked slowly, fingers tightening into fists.

Xemnas smiled and shrugged. "To get it out of the way." His lips curled as he pulled back and waved a hand, excusing Riku before he could say a word. "Bring him to the conference room today. Five o'clock sharp. Don't be late," he added on as a warning.

Riku stood to leave and bowed his head, teeth gritted. "Yes, sir."

He left the office quickly and only let the blank expression fall away from his face once he was inside the elevator with the doors tightly shut. "Damnit!" he hissed, slamming a fist into the wall of the compartment. He swore again and looked up to glare at the metallic, heavy doors.

Xemnas must have set that whole thing up with Zack! He had planned it out so that Sora's abilities would be needed to heal him.

He let his fist fall back to his side, throbbing from the impact. But why did he do that? To test Sora's abilities? No, the incident with Roxas was enough to prove Sora's gift…

He sighed heavily and dragged his sore hand through his hair, pushing silver strands out of his eyes. He hated to admit it but the only thing he could do for now was wait until he could get more information.

God, he hated waiting.

It was a good thing that the elevator was so slow because he needed those extra minutes to compose himself. By the time the elevator reached his floor and the doors slid open, Riku's face was once again carefully devoid of emotion.

He slid his hands in his pockets and stepped out into the hall, a heavy sigh fanning across his lips. He sighed once he reached his apartment, pausing right outside the door, staring numbly at the thin number on the door. May as well go in and…

But before he could even retrieve his key from his pocket the door swung open, missing his nose by an inch.

"The hell, Riku? What took you so long?" Axel demanded, slapping his hand against the doorframe for emphasis. He shook his head and signed, drawing his fingers through his spiked, red hair. "Okay, never mind. Forget it. I'm hungry so I'm going out." He grinned and shoved past Riku, giving him a hard pat on the shoulder.

"You could've eaten something here," Riku muttered, rolling his eyes as he stepped into the kitchen.

Axel paused in the hallway then turned to grab Riku by the arm and pull him close. "I could've but…" he trailed off and shook his head. "Try and take Sora out on the roof today." When Riku frowned at him Axel simply shrugged and chuckled softly. "The kid needs it," he added simply before letting Riku go and stepping back out into the hall.

Riku watched him walk away then turned to look into the apartment, eyebrows furrowing. "Sora…?" he called hesitantly.

For a moment it didn't seem like anyone was going to answer and an irrational pang of worry shot through him. But then Sora appeared from the living room, a hoodie pulled halfway on.

Their eyes met and Sora's cheek flushed a light pink as he hastily pulled the sweatshirt all the way on. "Yeah?"

Riku paused then spoke. "Want to go outside?"

Blue eyes widened. "Out…"

The assassin quickly cut him off, shaking his head. "I mean out on the roof."

"Oh…. But it's raining…."

"If you don't want to…"

Sora shook his head hastily and stepped forward, hands slipping into the front pocket of the hoodie. "No... I'd like that," he said quietly, a small smile forming.

The tension Riku had been unaware he had been holding was suddenly released from his shoulders. "Come on then."

0o0

Sora wasn't sure what to feel when he stepped out from the stairwell onto the flat roof of the apartment building.

Gray clouds filled the sky, hiding the sun from view as they released a shower of rain. In all rights, it was gloomy and damp and depressing, but to Sora it was beautiful. He walked past Riku and closed his eyes, holding still so that he could feel the rain kiss his skin.

He felt Riku watching him but decided to ignore it and focus instead on the wind tugging at his hair and the water clinging to his lashes. His toes curled in his sneakers and a sudden, sharp pang shot through him as he thought of how badly he wanted to just _run. _

"I thought this would make you happy."

Sora turned to glance over his shoulder at Riku, a small, sad smile at his lips. Riku was watching him, water pulling his long bangs into his face and obscuring his frown.

Sora paused then looked away. "I am happy. And that's what's so sad."

Riku didn't reply.

The brunet tipped his chin up and rubbed the back of his neck, eyes searching the sky for a peek of sun. "I didn't think I had been here for that long but…" he trailed off and chuckled "I'm actually happy to be out here."

"It's raining," Riku said, sounding apologetic.

"Yeah."

0o0

By the time they were back inside and in the elevator Sora's clothes were soaking wet, clinging to his skin and dripping small drops of water on the floor. He shivered and glanced up at Riku, frowning. "We passed our floor," he pointed out, eyes flickering over to the numbers glowing over the metal doors.

Riku shifted in place then shrugged his shoulders. "I know."

It was silent for a moment then, "Are we going somewhere…?"

"You're just meeting some people," Riku said as the doors slid open with a clang. He motioned for Sora to follow him out into the hallway.

Silently, he put an arm around Sora's shoulder and led him down the narrow hall, past rows of tall doors. Sora's sneakers squeaked along the white tiled floor. He fidgeted nervously and rubbed his arms, the air conditioning making his wet skin icy. "Meeting who?" he asked slowly, glancing up and down the hall. Something about the hallway unnerved him. It may have been the blank, cold doors or the dull lighting that cast long, spindly shadows off the white walls.

Riku stopped suddenly in front of a door, hand momentarily tightening over his shoulder.

He reached out to open the door then paused, and leaned close to Sora. "Don't let them intimidate you," he whispered, their lips almost brushing. Sora flushed and Riku pulled back and swung open the door.

The room was almost painfully bright compared to the shadowy hallway. A glass table stood alone at the front of the room holding nothing but a pitcher of water. But that wasn't what caught Sora's attention. Ten, dark figures stood around the room by the walls, laughing softly and talking amongst themselves. The moment they took notice of Sora and Riku they all fell silent, heads turning to study him critically.

Sora drew back against Riku, fear jumping up his chest, making his heart thud faster. Without even thinking, he pushed back, starting to turn as if to leave. But Riku caught him by the shoulders and firmly nudged him into the room.

"So this is the child," a tall man remarked, thick arms crossing over his broad chest. He tilted his head, black dreadlocks falling across his shoulders.

Sora glanced back at Riku, eyes widening when he saw a blonde woman shut the door. "Aw, isn't he cute?" the woman cooed, leaning back against the door and grinning sharply. She was slender and had a pointed face with short, sleek blonde hair. She tapped her foot against the floor, heel clicking against the tile.

"Shup up, Larxene," Riku snapped, directing Sora towards the other side of the room.

She scowled and narrowed her green eyes at Riku, tipping her chin up to sneer at him. "I was _complimenting _your little pet." She spat out each word before letting her gaze fall back on Sora. "Who knew you had the same taste as Axel?"

A man, Sora recognized quickly as Marluxia the moment that pink hair flashed into view, stepped up. He put a hand over Larxene's shoulder and tilted his head to murmur to her, "I'd have to disagree. He's not quite as depressing as Roxas, hm?"

"Speaking of Roxas… where is he?" A man in the corner of the room spoke up suddenly, amber eyes sweeping across the room.

Sora gulped when his hard gaze landed on him and unconsciously shifted back, closer to Riku. Perhaps it was the large X scar across the man's face that unnerved him but…

"And where's Number VIII?" he growled.

"Chill out, Saix," Demyx chirped up and strode over to Sora, ruffling his hair cheerfully. "He's always grumpy like this," he whispered loudly, eyes crinkling around the edges.

"Demyx." He took a threatening step forward, but stopped when the door slammed open. The room immediately fell silent as a man with long, silver hair stepped in, steely, amber eyes moving across each face in the room.

Sora felt Riku stiffen from behind him and swallowed nervously, positive that everyone in the suddenly quiet room was able to hear his hear thudding in his chest. "That's Xemnas," Riku whispered to him, voice tight.

Xemnas' eyes pierced Sora before he swept up to the front of the room, looking around grimly. "Today is a momentous day." His voice was deep and he pronounced each word carefully and slowly. I am pleased to announce that a new comrade has been chosen to wear the cloat."

Sora blinked then glanced around the room again curiously. He had not yet been introduced to all the members so he wasn't sure who it was that was new.

Larxene was scowling and whispering sharply to Marluxia who was nodding slowly. To Larxene's right stood a tall man with dull red hair and a jutting chin. He was staring solemnly straight ahead, brows furrowed. Another man, older than the others, stood a little off to the side, glancing from Marluxia to Larxene, eyes narrowed.

No one in the room made any acknowledgment that they were the new member.

Xemnas turned his head and swept out his arm towards Sora, his lips curling up to form a small smirk.

"Number XIV."

0o0o0o0o0

Joh: .....heh. I know.


End file.
